Local News - March 2003

Abernathy assumes second-in-command

Veteran will miss drug task force work

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

March 17, 2003 - For Dean Abernathy, it was a tremendous career move, but one that forced him to leave behind a job he loves.

Abernathy was recently named captain of the Lincolnton Police Department, a position left open by Roger Hilton, who retired in December.

Before his promotion, Abernathy was a lieutenant with the police department, headed up the criminal investigations division and served on the Lincoln County Drug Task Force.

As captain, he will be in charge of patrol duties and investigations, but will no longer be able to serve on the drug task force.

“I’m going to miss it,” Abernathy said. “I’m going to miss it bad.”

This week — his first week as captain — he already began to feel those separation pains.

“I go home at night, and it’s hard to sit there and not do anything,” he said. “That’s my thing, and that’s where my heart is at.

“It was a hard decision — I liked doing what I was doing and the people I worked with.”

His move to captain is a move toward more administrative duties, such as supervising time off and schedules and maintaining equipment.

Abernathy is second-in-command at the LPD, heading up 34 certified officers and a total of 45 employees.

He said dealing with the large number of people and the administrative aspect of the job is going to be new.

“It’s going to be a task, taking on a lot of responsibility,” Abernathy said.

Police Chief Terry Burgin is confident in Abernathy’s abilities.

“He’ll do us an excellent job in that position,” Burgin said.

Abernathy’s experience in management, department matters and criminal investigation and his dedication to the job and the LPD make him highly qualified as captain, Burgin said.

“If his future work ethics are anything like the past, then we’re certainly fortunate to have him in our agency and top management position,” Burgin said.

“He’s just a great guy. He brings with him some national recognition in his investigation efforts to curb drug trafficking. We’re just glad to have him on board.”

One of Abernathy’s goals as captain is to make sure the police department correctly deals with the city’s growth.

“I’d like to see us grow along with the city,” he said.

He’d also like to work to build better relationships with the Hispanic population of Lincolnton.

Diversifying the police department and providing language training are some ways to start that process.

Abernathy has been involved in law enforcement for 27 years.

He started his career as a dispatcher in Gaston County in 1976. His first full-time job was in High Shoals in 1978.

He went to the police department in Mt. Holly in 1979, where he stayed for seven years.

During that time, he served as fire chief at the High Shoals Volunteer Fire Department. It was because of his involvement with the fire department that he got into police work.

“In High Shoals, the fire department and police department were right across the street,” Abernathy said. “I started hanging out there, and one thing led to another.”

In 1986, Abernathy came to Lincolnton as a patrol officer. He worked as a detective from 1989 to 1992.

He was then assigned to the 27B Drug Task Force, based out of Shelby, for two years. The Task Force was multi-jurisdictional, with the SBI, Shelby Police Department, Kings Mountain Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lincolnton Police Department comprising it.

He was soon promoted to lieutenant over the detective division.

In 1994, Abernathy returned to the LPD and was assigned to narcotics. And from 1995 until just recently, he worked on the Lincoln County Drug Task Force.

Abernathy attended the FBI academy in 1995, which was the best training he’s ever had, he said.

One of his greatest accomplishments was receiving the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers award in 2000 for work on Operation County Line. The operation broke up a cocaine smuggling ring from Jamaica.

The recent case against Kevin Gray, who was convicted of second-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual assault, was also satisfying for Abernathy.

“When something terrible happens to a person, it traumatizes them for the rest of their life,” he said. “And other than family, they don’t have anybody else to turn to but the police.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions