Mission Statement
"The Mission of the Rockingham Police Department is to enforce the laws and ordinances of the State of North Carolina and the City of Rockingham. By providing quality law enforcement we safeguard lives, enhance community safety, protect property and reduce the impact and fear of crime. Our officers seek and preserve public confidence by impartial observance of the law and by offering service and trust to all members of the public."
The Police Department serves a population of approximately 10,000 citizens in Richmond County. The department has four main divisions: Patrol, Detectives, Communications and Administrative Services.
There are 35 sworn officers, four full-time telecommunicators, one full-time and one part-time administrative assistant. The Detective Division consists of six investigators, two assigned to Narcotics, three to Major Crimes, and one assigned to work in investigating domestic violence offenses.
The Police Department also has three special taskforce teams, including a Traffic Enforcement team, SWAT team and a K-9 team.
If you are interested in finding out more about employment opportunities with the City Of Rockingham Police Department, please visit the employment opportunities page.
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Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make National Night Out 2016 a great success. You can see more pictures by clicking here.
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Junior Police Academy Cadets 2016
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Kids enjoyed the slide and other activities at NNO 2016
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Officer Josh Lampley and his partner, K9 Cash. Cash is one of the PD's newest members of the K9 Team.
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Update: May 2016- The Police Dept. is still receiving numerous complaints of the IRS phone scam. Please use your due diligence in the handling of these callers: Do not give them your personal information, Do not call the number back they are calling from, it could result in overseas high phone charges back to your phone. Notify your local law enforcement with any concerns.
IRS Telephone Scams
The Rockingham Police Department has received numerous complaints from citizens targeted by this scam lately.
The IRS has seen a recent increase in local phone scams across the country, with callers pretending to be from the IRS in hopes of stealing money or identities from victims.
These phone scams include many variations, ranging from instances from where callers say the victims owe money or are entitled to a huge refund. Some calls can threaten arrest and threaten a driver’s license revocation. Sometimes these calls are paired with follow-up calls from people saying they are from the local police department or the state motor vehicle department.
Characteristics of these scams can include:
- Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
- Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
- Scammers “spoof” or imitate the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
- Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
- Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening victims with jail time or a driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
In another variation, one sophisticated phone scam has targeted taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do: If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
If you’ve been targeted by these scams, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
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A NEW SCAM IN OUR AREA
The Rockingham Police Department recently received a call from a local business owner who wanted to report a new scam. While the police department has always notified the public about various scams, this one has a new twist . The scammers are attempting to use the name of the Rockingham Police Department to force money from the victims. This is how the scam worked. The business owner received a phone call from someone who said that they were with the IRS and that they needed to pay their back taxes immediately and that they needed to give their debit card number to the caller. The person receiving the call realized it was a scam and hung up. About two minutes later, the same person received a call and the caller I.D. read the Rockingham Police Department and the number was the same as the department's. When the person spoke to the caller, the caller stated that they worked at the Rockingham Police Department and that they had received a fax from the IRS stating that there were warrants for her arrest if she did not pay the taxes. The person realized this was still a scam and hung up. She then called us to report this. It is highly important to understand that no police department, sheriff's department, or other law enforcement agency will ever call you and ask for any type of payment over the phone. Also, there are many ways now to "spoof" your phone number and make it show up as anyone else's. The Rockingham Police Department is asking that anyone that receives this type of phone call to please notify us at 1-910-895-2468 or email Detective Steve Odom at sodom@gorockinghampd.com.
In addition to this scam, the department received a call from a local resident who said he received a letter in the mail from "HOME SERVE USA MANAGEMENT CORPORATION" stating that he owed the City of Rockingham money for "water line usage". Once again this was a scam and involved the scammer using the City of Rockingham's name in some fashion. If you receive such a letter please contact us as well.
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Counterfeit Monies
Update August 2016
We are currently taking reports of counterfeit $20 bills from our area. The most common reports of counterfeit have been found from restaurants with drive through windows. We have also had reports of counterfeit $50 bills. If you suspect you have counterfeit money call the Police Dept and speak with an officer.
February 25, 2016
The Rockingham Police Department has recieved several older counterfeit $100.00 bills. So far the bills have only been used at retail stores within the Rockingham area.
Some of the fake bills have matching serial numbers, however, some do not. Some of the counterfeits are made by bleaching a $5 bill and copying a one hundred bill onto the treasury money. The pens that are used to check the validity of the bill will then be useless.
One of the suspects passing the counterfeit $100 bills has been described as a well dressed black male. Other suspect information is a light skin black male with dreads hairstyle.
If you receive a counterfeit bill, or have questions about the accuracy of a bill, please contact the Rockingham Police Department, as well as recall any pertinet information about the suspect(s), such as the Make, Model and color of their vehicle with License tag. Please alert your employees to use all means to verify a bill before accepting it.
Anyone with information can contact the Rockingham Police Department at 910-895-2468 and ask for Det. Brigman.
You may also visit the US Secret Service website for more information.
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POLICE SEEK HELP IDENTIFYING SUSPECTS IN LOCAL PAWN SHOP BREAK-IN
The Rockingham Police Department is asking for help in identifying two unknown subjects that broke into a local pawn shop Sunday morning around 3:50 am. One subject is wearing a black hoodie, rubber gloves and a disposable breathing mask. The second subject is wearing a blue hoodie and rubber gloves. The subjects are between 5'8' to 5'9', one slender and one slightly heaver. If anyone has any knowledge of the identity of these two subjects you can contact Det. Tunstall at the Rockingham Police Department (910) 895-2468 or Richmond County Crime Stoppers at (910) 997-5454. You may be eligible for a reward if your tips lead to an arrest.
April 27, 2016
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| Chief Kelly receives award from Don Nail, Director of the NC Governor's Highway Safety Program |
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Chief Billy Kelly was honored Tuesday, August 18, 2015 as Law Enforcement Liaison of the Year by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program at the 2015 Highway Safety Symposium in Concord.
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Charity Solicitations
Watch out for phone solicitors representing charities -- they may be a scam. Although legitimate charities do make phone calls for donations, the FTC warns that not all the calls you receive will be legitimate.
Always ask for a charity's name, address and phone number before donating. Ask them to send you written information. Then look up the information on the charity yourself and make sure the call you received is legitimate. For example, if you get a call from someone claiming to raise money for your local Fraternal Order of Police, call your local police and ask them if the call was legitimate.
Citizens may check to see if a charity is legitimate by visiting: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0011-charity-scams
The Rockingham Police Department never solicits money from citizens. If you get a call from someone claiming to represent the Police Department please call us immediately to report it.
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UTILITY BILL SCAM
Watch out for a new scam that touts a federal program that will supposedly pay your utility bills. The program isn't real. Instead, it's a ploy by scammers to steal your personal financial information and your money.
The scammers tell you that to participate in the program you need to provide your Social Security number and bank account information. In return they give you a bank account number that they claim will pay your utility bills-but the information is false and your utility bills haven't really been paid. And now the scammers have all the information they need to steal your money and even open new accounts in your name.
People report that scammers have contacted them about the fake program in person and through flyers, text messages and social media. At least one utility company has already discovered that hundreds of it's customers tried to pay their bills using the phony band account number given out by the scammers.
Never agree to provide your Social Security number, bank account number or other personal financial information to anyone who contacts you, no matter who they claim to be or how they claim they will help you.
If you've been the victim of a scam, file a complaint with the Attorney General's office on their website or call them at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll free within North Carolina. And you may also contact Detective Odom at Rockingham Police Department (910)895-2468.
www.NCDOJ.GOV
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Rockingham Police Department
311 East Franklin St
Rockingham, NC 28379
(910) 895-2468
Chief of Police Billy Kelly
Asst Chief Eddie Grant
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Richmond County's new service titled Code Red which notifies citizens via telephone if there is an emergency
happening in their neighborhood. Click Link to signup
for this service.
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| National Sex Offender Registry |
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| Threat Level Elevated Click Icon for More... |
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| JPA Cadets with Officers of RPD |
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North Carolina's Move Over law protects State Troopers and other law enforcement officers and emergency and utility workers stopped along side our highways.
The Highway Patrol has taken steps to ensure more safety for citizens and troopers. In January, 2002, the state's Move Over law took effect requiring motorists, if they can safely do so, to move one lane away from any law enforcement or other emergency vehicle that is on the side of the highway. This law includes utility vehicles that are on the side of the road restoring electrical service during an unplanned event such as a hurricane or ice storm. The utility vehicles are required to have a flashing amber-colored light.
The law requires motorists slow down and approach cautiously when an emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder of the roadway with its lights flashing. Motorists are required to move over to another lane away from the emergency vehicle on a multi-lane highway or slow down on a two lane highway and can do so safely. Motorists must slow down while maintaining a safe speed. G.S. 20-157 (f).
A violation of the move over law will result in a mandatory fine of $250.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Victim Notification Program
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a department of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is committed to protecting the public and ensuring that the rights of victims are observed. The Victim Notification Program allows eligible victims and witnesses to obtain information regarding a criminal alien's release from custody. Victims are required to register with the agency to receive notification. This is for criminal aliens' release only. Please visit the following link for more information on the program: www.ice.gov/victim-notification/
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Fraud & Identity Theft
Are you a victim of fraud? Identity Theft? Internet crimes? If you think you may be a victim of one of these crimes, or if you have questions concerning these crimes, you may contact Detective Steve Odom. Listed below are some helpful links to other sites:
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