NC FBINAA

Farewell Letter from Owen Harris……

Just as I had the opportunity to introduce myself through this forum, I sincerely appreciate Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Bailey providing me the use of it to bid farewell, as this is the best way to reach all of you across this great state. As many of you may have heard, I recently was asked to return to our headquarters in Washington, DC, to help lead and implement some initiatives within the FBI which are focused on enhancing our efforts among the law enforcement and intelligence communities to share information. This is so important because, as we have seen across this state and this country, we are all stronger when we work in partnership. I could cite multi-ple examples across the United States that typify this premise, but I don’t really need to because this is some-thing that all of us do exceptionally well in North Carolina.

When I first arrived in North Carolina, I told you that my goal was to leverage our resources to assist your agencies and departments in combating crimes that erode our communities and impact our livelihoods, such as gang violence, mortgage and corporate fraud, and corruption. At the same time, I stated that we had to re-main vigilant against our adversaries who seek to threaten our national security and undermine our way of life. During my tenure in North Carolina, we were challenged with all of these things. And we – all of us together – faced these challenges head on. Many of you who participate on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces and Safe Streets Task Forces across the state have often heard me say at executive board meetings, “this isn’t the FBI Charlotte Division’s Task Force, this is OUR task force.” All of us united for a singular purpose to protect our citizens and keep them safe…and that didn’t matter if we were stopping violent extremists or violent gang members. We were more than a task force, we were colleagues; we were partners; we are friends. That friendship was truly strengthened and expanded by the FBINAA’s greatest chapter, the North Carolina Chapter.

I sincerely will miss my interaction with our North Carolina Chapter. I have enjoyed personally meeting our members and, probably more so, those of you who were selected to attend the National Academy during my tenure. It was always fascinating to see the excitement and apprehension in your eyes before you attended, and then to hear the stories of how your experiences at the National Academy far exceeded your expectations. I believe we have had 49 North Carolina graduates during my tenure – more than many other chapters have in five years (not that it’s a competition). But as I have often said, our Chapter continues to acquire so many slots because all of you exceptionally and professionally represented your respective departments and our state. Who would expect anything else from the finest law enforcement and military personnel I have had the pleasure to work beside?

Although I will be moving on, I won’t be moving far inasmuch as my family and I have decided to make North Carolina our home. The commute between DC and North Carolina may become a little challenging, but I know that while I’m away, my family will be in good hands – your hands. And they feel better in that knowledge be-cause we all feel that we’re part of your family, too. Thank you for your friendship and please don’t hesitate to let me know if I can do anything for you at the national level.

Owen