[July 06, 2009]

The Fayetteville Observer, N.C., Kim Hasty column: Female powerhouse runs police in Parkton

PARKTON, Jul 06, 2009 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The chief of police in Parkton has dead-on accuracy with a pistol, a low tolerance for thugs and children's crayon drawings taped to the wall.

Tammy Lowery, who returned to her hometown almost a year ago to become nearly a one-woman law enforcement show, doesn't mind talking about the drawings.

"That's my kids' wall," says the single mother of five. "They come in here and put things up there." But she's more hesitant to talk about the difference she's already made in this small Robeson County town as one of only a few female police chiefs in North Carolina.

"She won't say it," says Parkton resident Ray Scott. "But on her third day as chief, she ran down two guys who were breaking and entering." "I hold my own," Lowery adds. But, then again, she says it in sort of the same way Clint Eastwood says, "Go ahead. Make my day." Scott, who has lived in Parkton since the early 1990s, says that Lowery has cleaned up the nighttime drug activity that plagued the street corner where the Poco convenience store stands.

And, he adds, people should realize that if they drive through town at night, they better have a valid driver's license, as well as a valid inspection and registration.

She also has helped foster a good relationship with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office, which provides backup for Lowery if she needs it.

Part of the reason for Lowery's effectiveness is her fondness for her hometown. She returned here after nine years in law enforcement in Hoke County and three years with the Spring Lake Police Department.

Lowery, who is 36, graduated from Parkton High School before the school was consolidated into the Robeson County system.

Few businesses remain in Parkton, but the town's neighborliness has endured. When Lowery took over in August last year, residents stopped by the tiny station house to bring her pies, homemade bread and pecans.

Lowery has written grants to put several ideas into action, such as the "Are You OK?" program. Geared toward senior citizens and the disabled, the program offers a daily phone call from someone with the Police Department at a designated time every day.

Then there are Bella and Ora, members of Parkton's future canine unit.

On a stifling summer morning, despite a window unit straining to cool the air, Bella, the would-be police dog, isn't budging. She snoozes, picks her head up to briefly look around, then flops back down to snooze some more.

Nevertheless, the future looks bright around here. Bella, after all, is only 3 months old. Lowery obtained Bella and Ora, both German Shepherd puppies, through a donation with the intention of turning them into drug detection dogs. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office has agreed to train the dogs when they are old enough, though, at this point, the pups' law enforcement education has been relegated to house training.

Both dogs, by the way, are female, which means they fit right in with the woman in charge.

"I believe in my women," Lowery says.

Community news editor Kim Hasty can be reached at hastyk@fayobserver.com or 323-4848, ext. 478.

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