Dare sheriff candidate Jeffrey “Jeff” Deringer
- Corinne Saunders
- Feb 26
- 7 min read
Jeff Deringer (Photo courtesy Jeff Deringer)
By Corinne Saunders
Editor’s Note: This is one of our weekly open-access articles. Candidate information comes from public records, verbal responses during a public forum and written responses to questions from Outer Banks Insider. To support Outer Banks Insider’s work and to access all of it, click the button below.
Jeffrey “Jeff” Deringer, one of four Republican primary candidates for Dare County sheriff, in his campaign has highlighted that he is the only candidate currently working in the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, where he serves as chief deputy.
Read about candidate Theodore “Teddy” Daniels here.
Read about candidate Jimmy Pierce here.
Read about candidate Rodney Rawls here.
No candidates from any other political parties filed to run in the sheriff’s race, meaning the primary winner will most likely win the general election. Longtime Dare County Sheriff John D. “Doug” Doughtie is retiring this November, at the end of his term.
Sheriffs in North Carolina are not required to have any law enforcement experience. But one of the questions at the Dare County GOP’s sheriff candidate forum on Thursday, Jan. 8, in Nags Head, asked about candidates’ respective North Carolina law enforcement credentials and experience.
Three of the candidates, including Deringer, said they hold a North Carolina Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate, among many other certifications.
“Over the years, I have served in numerous roles in the sheriff’s office, beginning as a detention officer and working my way up to now your chief deputy,” Deringer said at the forum.
Deringer noted during the forum that he has extensive management experience within the sheriff’s office, including experience in emergency operations and certification through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to hold incident command” when emergency situations arise.
The Manteo resident said he’s involved in training, operational management, personnel certification and more, and that his sheriff’s office experience uniquely prepares him to serve as sheriff.
“I am responsible for managing multiple aspects of administrative, criminal and civil process operations, planning, division oversight, budgets, procurement and personnel certification,” he said. “I’ve had firsthand experience in emergency operations, from working hurricane duty to community coordinating operations from the EOC [Emergency Operations Center] command center. I also strategically implement and set up the equipment on Hatteras Island for the needs of storm deployment.”
He stressed his focus on strengthening community safety.
“My mission as sheriff will be a dual commitment of continuing the program to serve our community well today, coupled with the foresight and flexibility to adapt our approaches to better serve the needs of tomorrow, maintaining law and order,” Deringer said.
“These as my goals are not self-seeking; rather, they are focused on strengthening and increasing the safety of our community,” he said.
In response to Outer Banks Insider’s question about what he thinks his responsibility to the public is as sheriff, he reiterated his mission and goals as stated during the forum.
When asked how he plans to hold the sheriff’s office accountable to the citizens of Dare County, he indicated that he would be personally available for conversations, focus on “community policing” and broaden the availability of public information.
“Citizens will be able to call my cell phone or meet with me and directly talk to me, provide compliments and even make suggestions to improve our service,” Deringer said.
“Community policing is the best solution for deputy and community relationships,” he continued, explaining that attending community functions like meetings and events lets citizens and deputies get to know one another.
“We all need to be approachable and listen so everyone can express their concerns,” he said.
“I will make our community crime mapping available online and provide online access to incident reports that are public record,” he added.
Law enforcement employment history
Deringer has been a registered voter in Dare County since June 1999. He began working for the Dare County Sheriff’s Office that same month, county records show.
Deringer was in the area on vacation in 1995 when he “met a beautiful girl that I stayed for to date,” he told Outer Banks Insider. “We were married in 1997 and through God and love, we are still married today.”
He was hired as a detention officer, was promoted to deputy sheriff in December 2002 and was then promoted to master officer in June 2004. He resigned on June 9, 2006, according to records Dare County Human Resources Director Elizabeth K. Reilly provided.
Deringer said he resigned from the sheriff’s office “to work for the Duck Police Department for a very significant pay raise to better my family.”
He worked full-time as a police sergeant for the Town of Duck Police Department from June 12, 2006, to Nov. 23, 2010, according to Town Clerk Lori A. Ackerman.
Deringer said he resigned from Duck, where he “stayed on as a reserve officer,” and rejoined the sheriff’s office because he “missed being a deputy sheriff and for the honor to serve with Sheriff Doughtie.”
Deringer was hired as a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office on Dec. 6, 2010. Subsequent promotions were: Captain in January 2012, major in December 2014 and chief deputy—the second-highest-ranking position in the sheriff’s office—in December 2022, county records show.
Deringer received the January 2019 Dare County Employee of the Month award.
When asked what has motivated him to work for the sheriff’s office for so long, he responded, “If you love what you do, you do not work a day in your life. I love helping, serving and being a service to our community.”
He added, “I was inspired by the honor and commitment to the people shown by Sheriff [Bert] Austin and Sheriff Doughtie. They have taught me so much and I want to give back to the community and all in the sheriff’s office.”
When asked what he was most proud of in his law enforcement career to date, he called working as a school resource officer (SRO) at First Flight Middle School “a significant milestone.”
Deringer said, “This role not only allowed me to foster positive relationships with our youth and implement crucial development initiatives but also provided me with an understanding of proactive community engagement and preventative strategies.”
He said he served at the Alpine Tower for youth and managed the Therapeutic Wilderness Youth Program, and now Camp S.A.L.T.
“I train the SROs that train the SROs,” Deringer said at the forum. He said he is a field training instructor, a full resource officer instructor and a training coordinator.
Public information, a positive and the first challenge to address
State records show that Deringer operated Deringer Guns & Ammo, LLC, until it was dissolved in February 2018 for failure to file 2016 and 2017 annual reports.
When asked about this, Deringer said that he closed the business because it was too much of a time commitment.
“I started this business as a ‘side job’ and it became a large commitment that I saw would take too much time,” Deringer said. “I closed the business to be able to fully focus on my law enforcement career and be available at all hours of the day and night to serve.”
Public records indicate that Synchrony Bank is suing Deringer for over $7,000, but Deringer said that is “an initial filing that is not complete, due to an error in a balance transfer that my attorney is handling.”
Public records also show that Midland Funding sued him in 2015, about which Deringer said: “That was a disputed medical bill, and I issued claim to the insurance company that was charged to me. I was not provided with a resolution.”
When asked what he thinks the Dare County Sheriff's Office is currently doing well, Deringer pointed to helping citizens.
“We go above and beyond to help citizens complete paperwork for submission, explain the law, change flat tires on the bridge, quickly respond to calls and make ourselves available to respond, from the Sheriff himself and myself to many deputies for any situation 24 hours a day,” he said.
When asked what the first challenge he’d address as sheriff is and how he’d do it, Deringer highlighted reducing drug crime.
“I will increase the operations and expand the drug task force,” he said. “Acting on the street level offenders will reduce drug crime. This will lead to combating the distribution of drugs and the associated crimes. Property crimes have decreased. We will continue those efforts and present a strong display of high visibility.”
He also said he’d train deputies “on how to better interact with the public and then follow up for a sustainable outcome. The more knowledge a patrol deputy has provides them with the tools to effectively and successfully complete a task and better serve the public.”
His other plans include increasing public information and awareness.
“We will offer businesses and the citizens the opportunity to learn about public safety, how to implement best practices for safety and security and the steps to deter crime,” Deringer said.
“As chief deputy, my responsibilities have primarily centered on the vital administrative and operational oversight necessary to keep our department running efficiently,” he said. “However, as sheriff, my role will evolve significantly by leveraging my comprehensive knowledge and extensive experience to collaboratively develop tangible solutions to the challenges we face.”
“I will make our community crime mapping available online and provide online access to incident reports that are public record.”
— Jeff Deringer, candidate for Dare County sheriff
Position on ICE
During the Jan. 8 GOP forum, candidates fielded a question about their position on supporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement on the local level.
“Supporting ICE is under a North Carolina mandate,” Deringer said.
“When you get arrested and you are taken to our jail, we put your name into the database for a detainer [immigration detainer],” he explained.
House Bill 318, passed last spring, went into effect on Oct. 1, 2025, over Gov. Josh Stein’s veto.
All state legislators representing Dare County or parts of Dare County—Sen. Robert “Bobby” Hanig (R-Currituck), Rep. Edward “Ed” Goodwin (R-Chowan) and Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort)—voted in favor of the bill and voted to override the governor’s veto. Kidwell is listed among bill sponsors.
“I will cooperate with the mandates,” Deringer said. “It is not your sheriff's duty to deport. That is a federal function. It is your sheriff's duty to enforce the local laws and then cooperate with the mandates set forth by the federal and state [governments].”
When asked by Outer Banks Insider this month if his position had changed, he indicated that it had not, noting that the sheriff’s office would “follow the law” and perform the functions required by federal and state law.
Click here to watch the video of the Dare sheriff candidate forum recorded by Christina Williams.
Deringer filled out information on Vote411.org, and he has a campaign Facebook page.
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