Orange County Sheriff, UNC Distinguished Professor Both Recipients of Dogwood Awards

Two Orange County community members earned a distinguished honor from the North Carolina Attorney General on Wednesday.

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood and W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor for the UNC School of Government Jessie Smith are both recipients of Dogwood Awards, as announced by Attorney General Josh Stein’s office. Given each year to honor North Carolinians dedicated to keeping people safe, healthy, and happy in their communities, Blackwood and Smith are two of 26 people to receive the award this year.

According to Stein’s office, Blackwood’s development of the Coordinated Opioid Overdose Reduction Effort, or COORE initiative, earned him the honor. Under the program, people can dispose of drugs and drug paraphernalia while being guaranteed amnesty. It also partners the sheriff’s office with Orange County’s Criminal Justice Resource Department, Emergency Management Services, the Freedom House and the local police departments.

“Sheriff Charles Blackwood’s COORE initiative is making a real difference in Orange County’s efforts to confront the opioid epidemic,” said Stein. “I am proud to partner with Sheriff Blackwood on this important work to help get people suffering from addiction out of the criminal justice system and into the health care system, where they belong.”

“I appreciate this award,” said Sheriff Blackwood in a release, “and I share it with a great team of dedicated professionals who work with COORE to provide program recipients the support they need as they transition back to successful functioning within our community. We have an excellent partnership.”

Smith’s recognition comes from her work as the director of the Criminal Justice Innovation Lab within the UNC School of Government. The program works to educate stakeholders about criminal justice problems and discuss how to install consensus solutions and measure their impact. The lab’s goal is to ultimately create a more fair, effective criminal justice system and to improve both public safety and economic prosperity for all.

“Jessie Smith is conducting important research into the way North Carolina’s bail system treats people,” Stein said. “I believe people should be in jail pre-conviction based on their threat to public safety, not the size of their bank account. I appreciate the work Jessie has done on the issue of pre-trial release and am proud to honor her with a Dogwood Award.”

Stein first created the Dogwood Awards 2017, making the 2020 class its fourth group of recipients. Other North Carolinians recognized this year include:

• Randy Abbott, volunteer coordinator, SAFE Project, Greensboro
• Dr. Carly Brown, Masks of Love, Asheville
• District Attorney Ben David, New Hanover & Pender County District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington
• District Attorney Satana Deberry, Durham County District Attorney’s Office, Durham
• Christian Dueñas, DACA recipient and advocate, Durham
• Bishop Todd Fulton, Mt. Moriah Outreach Center, Kernersville
• Peter Gilbert, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Durham
• Peter Gwaltney, North Carolina Bankers Association, Wake Forest
• Hayley Harris and Lara Purnell, Layers of Dignity, Raleigh
• Chief Mark Holtzman, Greenville Police Department, Greenville
• Mayor Vi Lyles, Charlotte
• Beth Messersmith, MomsRising, Durham
• Mike Reardon, Carolina Climbers Association, Asheville
• Sec. Michael Regan, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Raleigh
• Sheriff Danny Rogers, Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, Greensboro
• Rep. Carson Smith, District 16, Hampstead
• Principal Chief Richard Sneed, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee
• Sheriff Keith Stone, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Nashville
• Isaac Sturgill, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Frank Timberlake, Rich Square Market, Rich Square
• Dr. Ogugua Ndili Obi, Vidant Health, Greenville
• Wendy Mateo-Pascual, Latinx community advocate, Concord
• Dr. Anuradha Rao-Patel, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• Amy Upham, Buncombe County Opioid Response Coordinator, Asheville

More information about the 2020 recipients of Attorney General Stein’s Dogwood Awards can be found on the state Department of Justice’s website.

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