Proposed School Merger Plan information can be found HERE.

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  3. Sheriff's Office
  4. Divisions
  5. Special Units

Contact Information

  • Sheriff Don Brown
  • Main Location:P.O. Box 385100 Government Drive., Building E Newton, NC 28658

Special Units

The Catawba County Sheriff's Office Search Team is committed to using all of the resources at their disposal to locate and rescue lost and missing persons. Our mission is carried out through the use of the expertise and technology at the disposal of our office of dedicated specialists, always with attention paid to the safety of all parties involved. Our team conducts wilderness search and rescue, urban search and rescue, and evidence and article search. The team responds to an average of 20 searches per year.

Formed in 1997, the team is made up of officers from every county agency except Hickory PD. Members have to pass a strenuous physical test to get on the team and again every three months to remain on the team. The team responds to approximately 16 call outs per year.

The Honor Guard is the formal representative of the Sheriff’s Office at all types of functions in Catawba County, including funerals, graduations, color presentations, and other special events. The Honor Guard practices monthly and takes pride in maintaining its strict composure, precise military bearing and meticulous attention to detail.Each deputy must have discipline and stamina and present a professional appearance on a daily basis. Joining the Honor Guard is voluntary but competitive.

The Catawba County UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Team provides support to all the other special teams. The UAS team provides an aerial view for search and rescue incidents, critical incidents involving the STAR team and also uses photography and aerial mapping to reconstruct crime scenes.

The mission of this team has and continues to be interacting with persons in crisis who have found themselves involved in an incident which has prompted a focused law enforcement response. The goal of these interactions is to facilitate a peaceful resolution to these incidents.

The Sheriff's Office currently has seven K9s assigned throughout the office. Four serve with the Patrol Division, one is assigned to Narcotics, one to the Detention Facility/Courts, and one to Community Relations (SROs).

Five of the Sheriff's Office K9s are Belgian Malinois. These dogs are trained in narcotics detection, tracking, handler protection, off-leash obedience, article searches, area and building searches, and criminal apprehension. Each dog originated in Europe and completed several months of intensive training to prepare for duty.

The Sheriff's Office also has two German Shorthaired Pointers. These dogs are trained in narcotics detection and tracking, assisting the office with locating and detecting illegal substances.

Pictured below, from left to right, are the Sheriff's Office K9s: Draxx, Storm, Nova, Rya, Kyro, Ivy, and Lexi.