Catawba County News
Catawba County 101: Sheriff's Office
Published: December 04, 2024
MAKING. LIVING. BETTER: SHERIFF’S OFFICE - PATROL/WARRANTS/CIVIL DIVISION
What is its mission/purpose?
Patrol: The Uniform Patrol Division is divided into four platoons including a Sheriff’s Office Reserve Division that provides 24 hours of law enforcement service seven days a week for the residents of Catawba County. The Uniform Patrol Division and the Reserve Division is comprised of 58 assigned patrol officers. These assigned deputies patrol a 413 square mile area of Catawba County with an approximate estimate of 164,645 citizens and responded to 124,613 calls for service in FY 23-24.
Uniform Patrol responds to any and all calls for service such as murders, rapes, robberies, as well as any other violation of criminal code, federal statutes, complete written reports, serve both criminal and civil papers and conduct property checks.
Captain Kerry Penley is the commander of the Patrol Division and he may be reached at 828-465-8302 or by email kpenley@catawbacountync.gov.
Civil: The Civil Division serves all civil process papers that are issued by the courts to address civil issues, such as divorces, domestic violence orders, child custody, taking property and returning it to the rightful owners, selling property to satisfy judgements, restraining orders, arrest orders, and many other related matters. These duties include receiving and accounting for all monies and fees collected as a result of civil actions.
The Civil Division handles many landlord and tenant disputes and must abide by the laws set forth by the North Carolina general assembly. Please click for landlord/tenant laws.
Civil Process papers can be mailed or hand delivered to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Fees for service of a Civil Process are $30.00 (in state) and $50.00 (out of state) per paper served. There will be a fee of $1.00 for ejectment and writ of real property envelopes if they are not provided.
If you have any questions, you may call (828) 465-8320 or send an email to Civil@CatawbaCountyNC.gov.
Warrants: The Warrants Division serves warrants, criminal summons and show cause orders.
A warrant is an official authorization which gives the power for law enforcement officials to engage in an activity. A warrant can be for an arrest of a suspected individual, searching of premises, or bringing an individual to court. A summons, on the other hand, is an official request made by a court for an individual to be present on a specific date and time to inquire after charges that have been made. The main difference between a summons and a warrant is that while a warrant gives authority for law enforcement officials to perform an action, a summons requests the individual to be present for an inquiry. If an individual ignores a summons, the next step would be the issuance of a warrant. Inquires of a outstanding warrant will not be done over the phone.
A show cause order may be issued for the following reasons:
- Failure to pay child support
- Failure to pay alimony
- Failure to comply with custody or visitation directives
- Failure to produce documents required in a Court Order
- Failure to do anything required by a Court Order
How many staff members are involved in delivering services?
- 50 Patrol Deputies between four platoons
- 11 Civil/Warrant Deputies
- 1 Patrol Captain
- 1 Administrative Assistant
Is there anything you would like to add?
Our Patrol, Civil and Warrant Division is the most visible unit within our Sheriff’s Office. These are the men and women responsible for responding to every call for service. They usually arrive to help someone in need during one of the worst times they will ever deal with. They are all working hard to ensure the safety and security of our community and serve our citizens with the highest level of professionalism.