The Polk County Sheriff’s Office recently had two investigators complete the Criminal Investigation Program (CICP) through the N.C. Justice Academy.

Captain BJ Bayne and Det/Sgt. Randall Hodge were recently recognized for completing the program, which is designed to train detectives to better prepare themselves for various criminal investigations law enforcement encounters.

Completion of the program required 500 credit hours, which focused on criminal investigations and was required to be completed within a five-year period.

The certificates were issued from the North Carolina Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission under the North Carolina Department of Justice, which recognizes deputy sheriffs throughout the state.

Capt. Bayne began her law enforcement career in 2002 with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office beginning as a deputy sheriff on patrol under then Polk County Sheriff David Satterfield. Bayne later became the county’s first domestic violence investigator.

In 2007, Bayne accepted a position with the University of North Carolina-Asheville as the assistant police chief for the university. Bayne returned to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 2013 serving in the investigation division as a detective sergeant for current Polk County Sheriff Donald Hill.

Bayne was recently promoted to captain and oversees investigations and the county’s school resource officers.

She holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Isothermal Community College and is currently attending Gardner-Webb University for an undergraduate degree, majoring in criminal justice.

During her career she has obtained additional law enforcement training in special areas including death investigations, child abuse investigation, domestic violence investigation, sexual assaults and crime scene processing.

Sgt. Hodge began his career with Polk County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 under then sheriff Boyce Carswell. Hodge began his career working part-time at the Polk County Jail before going full-time on patrol as a deputy sheriff. Hodge has worked in various positions at the sheriff’s office including in the jail, on patrol, with animal control and the investigations division. In 2006 Hodge accepted a position with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety as an Adult Probation/Parole Officer before returning to the sheriff’s office under current sheriff Hill in 2011 as Det/Sergeant for investigations.

Sgt. Hodge earned his bachelor of science in criminal justice from Gardner-Webb University and has been working on his graduate degree in banking and finance from Gardner-Webb. Hodge received his North Carolina General Instructor Certification as well as obtaining additional law enforcement training in fire investigation, fingerprint comparison identification, death investigation and crime scene processing.

The Investigation Team at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office includes four full-time investigators and two part time investigators. Currently, Sgt. Jay Turney and Sgt. Todd Arwood are in the process of receiving training to complete the Criminal Investigation Certificate Program as well.  The detectives at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, together, bring the citizens more than 60 years of law enforcement experience.