Law Enforcement Agencies

on the

Outer Banks

The Outer Banks has a variety of Law Enforcement Agencies. Ranging from specialized enforcement agencies to the normal hometown police department, they work hard to serve both the residents and visitors of the Outer Banks.

Kitty Hawk Police Department

Kill Devil Hills Police Department

Manteo Police Department

Manteo Police Department is located in the heart of Dare County on Roanoke Island. A true small town police department, boasting a total of 6 full time officers. Chief D'Ambra's main focus is a strong belief in Community Policing. MPD maintains this belief through a variety of public services, which go above and beyond the call of "normal" police activities. Project Helping Hands is one such service in which officers "adopt" an ederly or otherwise handicapped citizen. The officer then plans regular visits with the citizen to make sure they are OK and ensuring that they are getting along fine.

Nags Head Police Department

Southern Shores Police Department

Dare County Sheriff's Office

Dare County Sheriff's Office is the largest agency on the Outer Banks. D.C.S.O. is separated into several divisions within the office itself. The Civil Division's responsibilities include the service of warrants and providing security for the courthouse. The Criminal Investigations Division(C.I.D.) is where the Detectives do their thing, seeking out sellers/buyers of illegal drugs, rapists, and even murderers just to name a few. The Patrol Division itself is separated into 3 districts. Adam District covers the main strip of beachfront from Duck down to Nags Head. Bravo District patrols from mainland to the Oregon Inlet Bridge. Charlie District maintains the Hatteras area. After the other divisions arrest the perps, they take them to the county's only holding and detention facility, Dare County Detention Center(D.C.D.C.). The Detention Center houses county, state, and even federal inmates. It is a new generation facility, otherwise known as a Direct Supervision facility.

Dare County Alcohol Beverage Control

Alcohol Law Enforcement

A.L.E. is responsible for many duties. Most popular are the enforcement of federal and state laws concerning the sale of alcohol and tobacco.

North Carolina Highway Patrol

The N.C.H.P. is the backbone to all Traffic Enforcement. The chief investigators of any accident that occurs on the state and county maintained roads, they are always prowling for anyone who might not take the state's Driving Under the Influence laws seriously.

North Carolina Marine Patrol

The Marine Patrol is a largely overlooked area of Law Enforcement. They efficiently enforce all waterway, boating, and fishing laws.

State Bureau of Investigation

The S.B.I. is the states version of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. With state of the art crime labs and investigative procedures, they are there in a flash to provide the necessary backup to help the smaller agencies to put the bad guys where they belong.

Department of Motor Vehicles

D.M.V. is responsible for enforcing all traffic and vehicle licensing laws. While sometimes it may seem that their main concern is to ensure that commercial truckers are keeping accurate log books and driving the straight and narrow, they do a wonderful job at making sure all drivers are following the letter of the law.

North Carolina Wildlife Commission

National Park Service

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard has two bases around the Outer Banks area. The main base is located in Elizabeth City, and a smaller base is located in Hatteras. Few realize the active role that the U.S.C.G. takes in the waters off of North Carolina, so I will take a moment to enlighten them.

The U.S.C.G. has many duties which befall them. They are the protectors and guardians of the water. They are responsible for every watercraft, personal and commercial, on the water. From safety checks to inspections, they do their best to insure that the boaters have the best chance to making it back to port. One of their biggest and most visible roles here is as a lifesaver. Whenever a distress or an overdue boater call comes in, you can be sure that the U.S.C.G. will have aircrews combing the skies and watercraft crisscrossing the waves. And when they do find a boater in distress, they have some of the best training and equipment at hand to save that life. And on top of all this, the U.S.C.G. keeps a constant eye out for the smuggling of illegal narcotics in this country.