Two of the area’s sheriffs and a former Congressman who long represented Orange County are among the latest North Carolinians recognized with a statewide award.
The North Carolina Attorney General’s office shared its annual Dogwood Award winners last week, which are granted to people working to “improve the health, safety, and well-being of their fellow North Carolinians.” Among the Triangle region recipients were Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson, Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead and former U.S. Congressman and Chapel Hill resident David Price.
Roberson has served as the Chatham County sheriff since being appointed in 2016, while Birkhead was first elected in 2018. Each have been involved in statewide leadership positions during their tenures, with Roberson serving as the president of the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association and Birkhead contributing to the state’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. Attorney General Josh Stein complimented both men in a press release about the award, saying he appreciated each of their leadership, law enforcement work and cooperation with his office.
“The people of Chatham County are better off because of Sheriff Roberson’s leadership,” said Stein. “He has been a strong partner in several of my office’s initiatives to help make North Carolinians safer, including our work to attract and keep public-spirited law enforcement officers.”
“I have known Sheriff Birkhead for years,” the attorney general added, “and have had a front-row view into how much he cares about protecting the people of Durham County. I am grateful for his work to help strengthen the law enforcement profession and deliver justice to survivors of sexual assault.”
“I am honored to receive the Dogwood Award and proud to stand alongside many dedicated North Carolinians who are working to make our communities safer and stronger,” Sheriff Roberson said in the release. “This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the men and women at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and our shared commitment to service.”
“As the sheriff of Durham County, I often say that everything we do is designed to save lives – whether inside the jail or across our communities,” said Sheriff Birkhead. “This is my life’s work. I am both humbled and honored to have those efforts recognized as a recipient of Attorney General Josh Stein’s Dogwood Award.”
Price, meanwhile, served more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as the legislator of North Carolina’s fourth congressional district, which often covered Orange and Durham counties. A longtime educator in addition to his work as a Congressman, he retired from public office in 2023.
“David Price has devoted decades of life his to public service for North Carolina,” said Stein. “He fought for public education, better infrastructure, affordable housing, and protections for our most vulnerable people. His federal budget expertise made a huge impact on the people of North Carolina.”
Other recipients from central North Carolina of a 2024 Dogwood Award include: Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame; SBI Agent Kevin Roughton; Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle; Durham County re-entry council coordinator Ontario Joyner; Lars Paul of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition; Durham Public Schools bus driver Deana Washington; and N.C. State student and the North Carolina Weather Authority’s Ethan Clark.
Stein’s office created the Dogwood Awards in 2017. To view past recipients and more recipients from 2024, visit the Attorney General’s office’s website.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines