About GCSO

 336-641-3694
jsecor@guilfordcountync.gov

James D. Secor, III, has served as a Deputy County Attorney and the Sheriff’s Office Attorney since 2015.

He has been licensed to practice law in North Carolina for 30 years since August 1990. He gained 21 years of civil trial/litigation experience while in private practice (1994-2015) and focused the last 10 years of his private practice (2005-2015) representing and defending law enforcement and detention officers in civil lawsuits across the state. While in private practice, he was regularly hired by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Benevolent Association, and the Greensboro Police Officers Association to represent local officers and deputies in officer-involved shootings and other on-duty incidents (2005-2015).

He spent four (4) years performing criminal trial work in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he saw all three (3) sides of the bench as a magistrate, prosecutor and defense counsel (1990-1994). Secor served as a Command Judge Advocate while deployed with Amphibious Squadron 8 on the U.S.S. IWO JIMA (LPH-2) during Operation Provide Promise—Yugoslavian coast (1992). He earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, where he authored two (2) published works on the UNC Law Review. He also earned Phi Beta Kappa Membership as an undergraduate at Hampden-Sydney College. Secor was honorably discharged after four (4) years of active duty as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Naval Reserve (1990-1994). While on active duty, he earned two (2) Navy Commendation Medals (non-combat related), a Navy Achievement Award and the Sea Service Medal.

336-641-3694 
kcarroll@guilfordcountync.gov

Kathleen E. Carroll is a Deputy County Attorney and has served as the Assistant Sheriff’s Attorney since 2021. She is also the legal advisor to other Guilford County departments, including Juvenile Detention, Security, the Family Justice Center, Animal Services, and Veterans Services.

Kathleen has been licensed to practice law in North Carolina since 2017. She graduated in the top 5% of her class (Magna Cum Laude) and earned her Juris Doctorate from Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida.

Kathleen was honorably discharged after four (4) years of active duty as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Army (2018-2022). She gained vast experience in legal assistance, administrative law, military justice, and prosecuting criminal charges as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. Kathleen earned one (1) Meritorious Service Medal, two (2) Army Commendation Medals, two (2) Army Achievement Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Medal while on active duty.

Kathleen currently serves as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the 134th Legal Operations Detachment based out of Fort Liberty, NC.

The office of the sheriff has been a very important part of the society, economy, and polity of North Carolina from the very beginnings of the state. The sheriff was once called the Provost Marshal, but the name was changed early in North Carolina's history with the reorganization of the colonial government in 1739. The Civil Process handbook for Sheriff's states: "No other officer in the colony exercised such complete and absolute executive and administrative powers as the sheriff."

He was both the executive officer of the county court and the representative of the crown in the county just as the English sheriff was in England. The full power posse comitatus was his as a peace officer of the county. He was also a very important fiscal officer as the collector of taxes for the colony, the county, and the parish. He was responsible for holding the elections of members of the legislature and the local vestries and through this exercised great influence over elections and the legislature. In most counties, he acted as vendee master, conducting public sales, and possessed important powers in connection with that office. All of these powers made the office of sheriff a position of great importance and one highly sought after and prized in colonial North Carolina.

In 1767, North Carolina was divided into six (6) judicial districts: Wilmington, New Bern, Edenton, Halifax, Hillsborough and Salisbury. County courts were established in every county then "in esse" at the same time. The sheriff had a very active role as the executive officer of the court. He and his crier opened court with a call for silence and attention and then called each action as it appeared on the docket. He submitted the names of the men summoned for service on the grand and petit juries when ordered to do so. In criminal actions, he had in his custody or under bond the defendants in the actions and suits before the court. If the defendant was in his custody or in jail he brought him before the court at the proper time to answer as the case required. The sheriff summoned the witnesses for the cases pending prior to the opening of court. During and after the court session the sheriff served the court's orders and writs, levied executions, proclaimed acquittals and supervised the infliction of punishments: the stocks and pillory, whippings, brandings, cropping of ears, and hangings.

Though Guilford County was formed in 1771 and began conducting court business during this time no County Court Minutes exist for the period from 1771 to 1781. Some scant records are available through The Colonial Records of North Carolina, land records and a few other sources but much of the history of law enforcement in Guilford County in the 1770s possibly including the identities of up to four (4) sheriffs may be lost forever.

The search for the 18th-century sheriffs of Guilford County, especially those who served during the 1770s was painstaking and time consuming. Much of the original research had to be scrapped after it was discovered that most of the published materials regarding sheriffs and the dates they served including a couple of highly regarded histories of the county, were inaccurate. Except for the dates of service for two (2) sheriffs which are noted within the text all information contained herein is from original historical documents and has wherever possible been verified by the use of two (2) or more sources. The search for the missing sheriffs continues.

The Sheriff's of Guilford County

• 2018- Danny H. Rogers
• 1994-2018 B.J. Barnes
• 1986-1994 Walter A. Burch
• 1982-1986 James L. Proffitt
• 1966-1982 Paul H. Gibson
• 1962-1966 Clayton H. Jones
• 1945-1962 John E. Walters
• 1942-1945 John C. Story
• 1932-1942 Joe S. Phipps
• 1912-1932 David B. Stafford
• 1906-1912 Burgess E. Jones
• 1900-1906 James F. Jordan
• 1898-1900 Joel Henry Gilmer
• 1894-1898 Joseph A. Hoskins
• 1890-1894 John W. Cook
• 1888-1890 Joseph A. Hoskins
• 1884-1888 Oliver C. Wheeler
• 1881-1884 Joel Henry Gilmer
• 1880-1881 James Cunningham
• 1865-1880 Robert M. Stafford
• 1859-1865 Caleb A. Boon
• 1846-1859 Walter Winbourne
• 1825-1846 James Doak
• 1820-1825 William Armfield
• 1818-1820 Abner Hanner
• 1816-1818 William Dickey
• 1813-1816 James Dunning
• 1812-1813 Simeon Geren
• 1808-1812 James Dunning
• 1797-1808 Abner Weatherly
• 1796-1797 John Haley
• 1795-1796 Za Za D. Bradsher
• 1794-1795 John Paisley
• 1793-1794 James Coots
• 1790-1793 John H. Spruce
• 1789-1790 Joseph Hoskins
• 1786-1789 Hance Hamilton
• 1784-1786 James Hunter
• 1783-1784 Jon Gillaspie
• 1781-1783 Daniel Gillaspie
• 1778-1780 John Hamilton
• 1777-1778 James Brown
• 177?-177? Henry Reed
• 1775-1776 John Tate
• 1772-1773 John Odeneal
• 1771-1772 William Moore

In Memory of...

It Was An Oath They Took. To honor the men and women of Guilford County who gave their lives protecting and serving its citizens. The Guilford County Sheriff's Office is committed to honoring those who lost their lives in the line of duty and is proud to host a memorial to those who paid the highest price.

Deputy Sheriff Gregory Lee Hawks
End of Watch: Friday, Sept. 2, 1994
Age: 36
Cause of Death: Automobile accident

Deputy Hawks was responding to a call of a suspicious person when he lost control of his patrol vehicle in a sharp curve and struck a tree. The collision killed him instantly. Deputy Hawks was the first deputy killed from this agency in 67 years. He is survived by his daughter and son.

Deputy Sheriff William T Bowman
End of Watch: Thursday, Feb. 24, 1927
Age: 40
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Deputy Bowman was shot and killed by two suspects while investigating the theft of chickens. Two bags of chickens had been located behind a church in Greene Township and Deputy Bowman was notified. He concealed himself nearby and waited for the suspects to appear. As he heard them approach he stood up to arrest them when they suddenly opened fire, killing him. Both men were arrested and convicted of his murder. Deputy Bowman had served with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office for 10 years.

Deputy Sheriff Robert Lee Bain
End of Watch: Saturday, Aug. 2, 1913
Age: 29
Cause of Death: Gunfire

While endeavoring to enforce the law he represented, Deputy Sheriff Robert L. Bain. of the Pomona Mill Village, was shot down in his tracks. The shooting occurred while Officer Bain was attempting to arrest the suspect for his involvement in a small ruckus. Deputy Bain had served with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office for 60 days.