Woodard
Andrews – Ding, ding. Clay County sheriff’s Lt. Heath Woodard has thrown his hat into the ring to replace Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer, who announced in March that he will not seek a third term.
Although Cherokee County voters won’t choose a new sheriff for more than a year, the race is a hot topic of local discussion, with Woodard the latest law enforcement official to announce his candidacy for the position.
Originally from Bryson City, Woodard moved to Andrews in 2008 to begin his law enforcement career following the housing market crash, which destabilized his family’s construction business. Since then, he has worked with all three law enforcement agencies in Cherokee County as well as the Graham and Swain sheriff’s offices.
Today, Woodard, 42, serves as head of the criminal investigation division of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
“Every one of them allowed me to advance my career to move up in rank or responsibility,” Woodard said regarding the numerous positions he’s held over the last 13 years.
The helpful nature of policing drew Woodard to the profession at a young age. However, after more than a decade on the job as a member of municipal police departments and sheriff’s offices, he believes local law enforcement officials have an even greater responsibility to their citizens.
“I’ve started to understand the constitutionality of sheriff’s offices. They quite literally are the last line of defense from the criminal element on local streets as well as the criminal element in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh,” Woodard said.
“What I like most is the fact that I can stand on my oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and nobody can make me change that.”
Woodard believes the U.S. Constitution has been “under attack from every direction” for at least a decade.
“It’s been disregarded, it’s been violated, it’s been trampled on and tyranny is knocking at the door of every Americans’ home right now,” he said. “We have an obligation to protect citizens from people stealing their stuff and other criminal acts, but we also have an obligation to protect constitutional rights.”
Woodard’s strong feelings on the state of politics in America is not merely rhetoric aimed at winning an election. He’s publicly demonstrated his feelings in the past. In December, Woodard was among more than 100 people who participated in a Friday night cruise in Andrews to protest Gov. Roy Cooper’s modified Stay-at-Home Order, which imposed a nightly curfew.
“When did we give government permission to tell us that we can or can’t open our business, or that we can or can’t send our kids to school, or that we can or can’t gather for a religious service?” Woodard asked, using restrictions brought on by the pandemic as an example of government overreach.
“When did we give them permission for that, because I don’t remember ever doing that.”
Woodard stressed that he’s not downplaying COVID-19 in any way and fully supports an individual’s choice to wear a mask or be vaccinated. However, he doesn’t feel the government should be dictating how individuals live, and he questions motives behind the state of affairs today.
“We have the right to determine [our own lives],” he said. “Why did it change now?”
Woodard feels the national media not only plays a big role in convincing citizens to follow what he believes are unconstitutional mandates, but also fuels the anti-cop rhetoric that has permeated cities across the nation. He acknowledges that, as humans, officers sometimes make bad decisions, but also feels that media and politicians often exacerbate the strained relationship between citizens and police by speaking out of turn.
Woodard believes ideologically motivated activism on the part of national media and politicians is one of the greatest obstacles facing the law enforcement profession. He feels drastic change is needed if communities expect to recruit officers to protect citizens in the future.
“You have politicians stepping out of their field of expertise, and talking about things they truly know nothing about, before investigations are complete and all the details have been provided,” he said. “It’s happening on both sides of the aisle, and it seems to be a politically motivated tool. I don’t know what they hope to gain by it.”
Woodard said he’s running for office of sheriff because the Constitution is “a hill I’m willing to die on.”
If elected, he plans to regularly work the streets alongside his deputies. He wants to remind current and future law enforcement officers of their oath to protect the citizens, and he hopes a constant reminder of that pledge will help them make better decisions in everyday policing.
“We took an oath to defend and uphold the laws of the Constitution of North Carolina, but only if they’re not inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution,” Woodard said.
“We need to start comparing everything that we enforce with the Constitution.”