Sheriff Ingram joined the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office in 1991 as a Patrol Deputy under Sheriff John Carr Davis and worked his way through the ranks with the Warrant Division, Detective Division and Narcotics Division. Sheriff Ingram was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant of the Narcotics Division in 1999, a position he held along with the title of SWAT Team Commander, until 2004. During his tenure as Drug Unit Commander and SWAT Team Commander, Sheriff Ingram received hundreds of hours of tactical and investigative training. He is also a graduate of the June 2002 Drug Unit Commanders Academy conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Quantico, VA.
Sheriff Ingram studied Criminal Justice at Southeastern Community College and Fayetteville State University. He is a graduate of the National Sheriff’s Institute and the North Carolina Sheriff’s Leadership Institute. Sheriff Ingram has held certifications as a General Instructor for the North Carolina Justice Academy, Specialized Physical Fitness Instructor, Rapid Deployment Instructor and Mobile Video Training Instructor. Sheriff Ingram has been certified as Clandestine Laboratory Investigator, Special Weapons and Tactics Operator and in Water Rescue, CPR and Taser. During his tenure as Lieutenant, he was responsible for the supervision of seven narcotic agents and sixteen SWAT operators. Sheriff Ingram, along with these officers, conducted many investigations of illegal drugs, which resulted in the arrest and conviction of numerous drug offenders.
In 2004, Sheriff Ingram took a position as Lieutenant in charge of Narcotics and SWAT with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. In 2006 Sheriff Ingram was promoted to the rank of Chief Deputy of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. In this capacity, he oversaw the day to day operations of the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 7th, 2008, acting Sheriff Greg White of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office appointed Sheriff Ingram as Chief Deputy of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. On May 19th, 2008 He was sworn in as Sheriff of Brunswick County.
After being sworn into office, Sheriff Ingram proceeded to reduce the overall budget requested by the previous administration. This resulted in over half a million dollars in savings to the taxpayers of Brunswick County. Sheriff Ingram implemented the community policing program to target high crime areas resulting in numerous arrests for drugs and various other crimes. Sheriff Ingram reorganized the K-9 division allowing these officers to utilize their K-9 partners more effectively to combat crime throughout our county.
Sheriff Ingram immediately implemented procedures to open the new phase of the detention facility to include the hiring of approximately twenty new detention officers. Sheriff Ingram has requested the federal government to consider Brunswick County as a potential partner to house federal pre-trial inmates, which would bring potential revenue in to the detention facility.
Other initiatives by Sheriff Ingram include:
* Increasing the inmate labor work force to assist with routine maintenance of county buildings and grounds.
* Developing a “Citizen’s Academy” which is currently a twelve week orientation course. It’s conducted in a classroom and “out-in-the-field” with certified agency instructors from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
* Obtained tasers in order to provide an additional level of safety for the officers, as well as the suspects. This enabled our department to reduce the overall number of injuries and claims received.
* Partnered with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program to obtain funding enabling the Sheriff’s Office to put additional patrol units on our streets and in our neighborhoods targeting the criminal element through aggressive traffic enforcement. This grant provided funding in excess of $300,000.00 at no additional cost to the taxpayers of the county.
* Significantly reduced the number of un-served warrants on violators and fugitives by aggressively apprehending those evading capture.
* Increasing the community watch program and creating a system to notify citizens about crimes occurring in their neighborhoods.
* Partner with the Cape Fear Literacy Council to provide GED classes to inmates in the detention facility.
* Obtained accreditation from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Standards Division to be a certified Basic Law Enforcement Training Center at the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Ingram is assisted by Administrative Assistants to the Sheriff.