A little about Sheriff Cutler

Sheriff Alan Cutler was raised in the Scotts Hill community of Pender County and graduated from Topsail High School.

Meet Sheriff Cutler | Pender County, NC

On December 3, 2018, Sheriff Cutler was sworn in as the 19th Sheriff of Pender County. Sheriff Cutler is married and has 3 children. Sheriff Cutler is a member of Barlow Vista Baptist Church and serves as a deacon and has served in other various roles.

Alan W. Cutler was raised in the Scotts Hill community of Pender County. He graduated from Topsail High School. He is married, has three children, and is a member of Barlow Vista Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon.

Alan W. Cutler is married, has three children, and is a member of Barlow Vista Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon.

Sheriff Alan Cutler was raised in the Scotts Hill community of Pender County and graduated from Topsail High School. Sheriff Cutler began his law enforcement career with the Pender County Sheriff's Office as a deputy for Sheriff Mike Harvell in 1990. In 1994 Sheriff Cutler was accepted into the 94th North Carolina State Highway Patrol Basic School.

In 1994 Sheriff Cutler was accepted into the 94th North Carolina State Highway Patrol Basic School. On May 12, 1995, Sheriff Cutler graduated and was sworn in as a Trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and was stationed in Onslow County.

Alan W. Cutler previously worked as a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol after beginning his law enforcement career as a deputy with the Pender County Sheriff's Office.

After serving in Onslow County, Sheriff Cutler transferred back to Pender County in 2006 and served until he retired on November 1, 2018. On December 3, 2018, Sheriff Cutler was sworn in as the 19th Sheriff of Pender County.

 * Carson H. Smith Jr. - 2002 to 2018
* Alan W Cutler - 2018 to Present

History | Pender County, NC

Alan currently serves as sheriff of Pender County. He was sworn in on December 3, 2018.

2026 North Carolina General Election

PCD: How would you address safety concerns in Pender County schools?
AC: Currently, my SRO staff is trained in SWAT and active shooter. SRO staff train with faculty and students about the dangers of and how to react to an active aggressor incident. Training sessions are conducted at every school using the A.L.I.C.E. program to make our schools as safe as possible.

2022 Primary Election: Incumbent Alan Cutler hopes to maintain seat as Pender County Sheriff | Port City Daily

Discussing community concerns about immigration enforcement, Cutler said: “I can definitely see the concern,” Sheriff Cutler said. “There is a narrative out there and the information that’s out there is really focusing on school raids and church raids and children not being in school and it affecting education and I don’t think anybody wants that. Nobody wants that. I want them to understand that we will not be raiding schools and we will not be raiding churches. And if they are victims of crime, don’t don’t hesitate to report that. You know, we don’t want anybody getting taken advantage of because they’re scared to report it to the sheriff’s office, to report those crimes to us. The law is the law and if you break the law, we have to do our job and enforce the law. We fully intend to do that, but I also intend for our agency to do that in a safe and legal manner.”

Pender County Sheriff shares why he spoke out publicly against resolution that would strengthen immigration enforcement

PCD: How would you address safety concerns in Pender County schools?
AC: I plan on working toward the goal of having an SRO in every school in Pender County with the help of the county commissioners. There are two SROs in each high school daily, and all middle and elementary schools have coverage.

In his answer on addressing the opioid crisis, Cutler said: Working with federal agencies allows us to send drug dealers to federal prison instead of housing them long term in our county facility. My deputies are issued Narcan and have saved many lives with its use when responding to overdose calls.

PCD: What can and should be done to improve relations between law enforcement and historically marginalized populations?
AC: We have taken our community programs to the citizens of Pender County and participate in the Community Police Race Relations meetings held. Our community meetings have gone a long way in improving our relationship with all communities of our county. We have been able to maintain transparency and build trust with the citizens. I was able to gain valuable information from those meetings and programs and my plan is to continue to grow these relationships.

PCD: How would you ensure the county is obtaining the best deputies for the area?
AC: In 2021 the county commissioners approved a salary increase for my staff in order to be more competitive with other law enforcement agencies. Since this salary increase, neighboring agencies have since increased their salaries and incentives, which makes it tough to recruit and retain staff. I will continue to work with county commissioners to maintain salary increases and be competitive with our surrounding agencies. New training opportunities that our budget and grants will allow are being offered and explored.

Provides active-aggressor training for school resource officers, faculty, and students through the A.L.I.C.E. program.

Pledges not to conduct immigration raids at schools or churches.

Encourages victims of crime to report crimes to the sheriff's office and says the agency will enforce the law safely and legally.

Plans to work toward placing a school resource officer in every Pender County school.

Issues deputies naloxone for overdose calls.

Plans to continue community programs and meetings intended to build trust and transparency between the sheriff's office and county residents.

Plans to work with county commissioners to maintain competitive deputy pay and expand training opportunities using budget and grant funding.

- Provides active-aggressor training for school resource officers, faculty, and students through the A.L.I.C.E. program.
- Pledges not to conduct immigration raids at schools or churches.
- Encourages victims of crime to report crimes to the sheriff's office and says the agency will enforce the law safely and legally.
- Plans to work toward placing a school resource officer in every Pender County school.
- Issues deputies naloxone for overdose calls.
- Plans to continue community programs and meetings intended to build trust and transparency between the sheriff's office and county residents.
- Plans to work with county commissioners to maintain competitive deputy pay and expand training opportunities using budget and grant funding.

Public Safety

Cutler explained his opposition to signing an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at that time: “I just didn’t want to sign something committing the county to certain resources or or funds, you know, without knowing everything about it,” Sheriff Cutler said. “It may be additional manpower that needed to be hired and there may be some requirement of housing certain federal inmates, which our facility at this point is not equipped to do that.”

PCD: Is there an additional issue or issues you think need(s) to be addressed during your term, should you win?
AC: The current jail facility is a constant drain on Pender County funds. There are maintenance costs due to the age of the building and out-of-county housing costs for our inmates. Discussion and planning have been in process for many years now and this is a definite need for our county. I plan on continuing to work with the county manager and commissioners to plan and construct a facility that would meet the needs of our county.

The article described a proposed modern jail with better viewing for detention officers to monitor inmates. “It will be more efficient and more safe,” Cutler said. “By doing that it will cut down on the number of personnel, but just the sheer size, compared to what we have now will add new positions. It will almost have to double. But it will still be efficient where you can have less guards to view all the inmates at one time.”

New Pender County jail could save money and provide more space

Opposes committing county resources to house federal inmates without knowing requirements, saying the current jail is not equipped to do so.

Plans to work with county officials to construct a jail facility that meets county needs and reduces maintenance and costs for housing inmates outside the county.

Supports a modern jail design intended to improve inmate monitoring, safety, and staffing efficiency.

- Opposes committing county resources to house federal inmates without knowing requirements, saying the current jail is not equipped to do so.
- Plans to work with county officials to construct a jail facility that meets county needs and reduces maintenance and costs for housing inmates outside the county.
- Supports a modern jail design intended to improve inmate monitoring, safety, and staffing efficiency.

Jail Management

The Pender County Board of Commissioners considered a resolution supporting the sheriff's office entering a 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “At this time, I would not be signing an MOU [memorandum of understanding] with ICE,” Cutler said to the commissioners.

Cutler said the sheriff's office already worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: “We’ve been working with ICE for for many years now,” Sheriff Cutler said. “Pender County Sheriff’s Office has well before I came into office. We’ve been honoring the detainees and the warrants that they require us to do. So, we’ve been working with ICE. We’ve had a real good communication with ICE. If they have a detainee on an individual, we do the hold that’s required by law in a certain amount of time.”

PCD: How should we be addressing the opioid crisis? What does and does not work from your point of view?
AC: The action should be and has been enforcement of drugs. Our narcotics division personnel were increased and drug charges increased 300% in the first year.

In his answer on addressing the opioid crisis, Cutler said: I have focused our personnel on drug dealers and removed individuals from the streets and neighborhoods of our county. Much of this has been accomplished with the assistance of federal agencies. Working with federal agencies allows us to send drug dealers to federal prison instead of housing them long term in our county facility.

Declines to sign a 287(g) memorandum of understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at this time.

Declined to sign a 287(g) memorandum of understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which would have given local officers the power to act as federal immigration agents.

Said the sheriff's office continues to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and honor required detainers and warrants.

Prioritizes drug enforcement, including adding narcotics personnel and focusing enforcement on drug dealers.

- Declined to sign a 287(g) memorandum of understanding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which would have given local officers the power to act as federal immigration agents.
- Said the sheriff's office continues to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and honor required detainers and warrants.
- Prioritizes drug enforcement, including adding narcotics personnel and focusing enforcement on drug dealers.

Criminal Justice

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Alan W. Cutler

- Pledges not to conduct immigration raids at schools or churches.
- Encourages victims of crime to report crimes to the sheriff's office and says the agency will enforce the law safely and legally.
- Plans to work toward placing a school resource officer in every Pender County school.
- Issues deputies naloxone for overdose calls.
- Plans to continue community programs and meetings intended to build trust and transparency between the sheriff's office and county residents.
- Plans to work with county commissioners to maintain competitive deputy pay and expand training opportunities using budget and grant funding.

- Said the sheriff's office continues to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and honor required detainers and warrants.
- Prioritizes drug enforcement, including adding narcotics personnel and focusing enforcement on drug dealers.

Alan is from Scotts Hill, North Carolina. He attended Topsail High School. He lives with his wife and three children in Scotts Hill. He attends Barlow Vista Baptist Church.

'Bursting at the seams': Pender County makes progress for new jail

Pender County Sheriff shares why he spoke out publicly against ...

As of April 6, 2026, Alan W. Cutler’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Supports the possibility of entering into a 287(g) agreement, but wants to ensure that "everyone does their research before they make a big decision to enter into the program."

Alan is the Pender County Sheriff. He works at the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, where he has served since December 3, 2018. He previously worked at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, where he served as a trooper from May 12, 1995, until his retirement on November 1, 2018, and at the Pender County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy beginning in 1990.

Alan W. Cutler is currently the Sheriff of Pender County. He was sworn in as the 19th Sheriff of Pender County on December 3, 2018, and has served in that office since then. He ran for election for Pender County Sheriff in 2022, competing in the Republican primary on May 17, 2022, and appearing on the general election ballot on November 8, 2022.

Alan W. Cutler (Pender County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate ...

Campaign Finance Reports | Pender County, NC

Believes improvements to the jail should not be paid for by taxpayers.

Alan is from Scotts Hill, North Carolina. He attended Topsail High School. He lives with his wife and three children in the Scotts Hill community. He attends Barlow Vista Baptist Church.

Believes the resolution to join the program will likely be brought up again, and wants to ensure everyone does their research before making a decision.

Alan W. Cutler is the Sheriff of Pender County. He works at the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, where he has served as sheriff since December 2018. He previously worked as a trooper for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol from 1995 to 2018 and as a deputy at the Pender County Sheriff’s Office from 1990 to 1994.

Believes improvements to the jail should not be funded by taxpayers.

Alan Cutler is from Scotts Hill, North Carolina. He graduated from Topsail High School. He is married and has three children. He is a member of Barlow Vista Baptist Church.

Alan is the sheriff of Pender County. He previously worked as a deputy for the Pender County Sheriff's Office and as a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He retired from law enforcement in 2018.

Alan is currently the sheriff of Pender County. He was first elected in 2018. Before serving as sheriff, Alan worked for the Pender County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

For Candidate Alan W. Cutler on Issue jail-management: Expressed concerns that signing onto a program could require additional resources that his office does not currently have, potentially leading to increased costs for taxpayers.

Alan Cutler is from Scotts Hill, North Carolina. He graduated from Topsail High School and attended the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Basic School. He is married and has three children. He is a member of Barlow Vista Baptist Church.

Alan is the sheriff of Pender County. He previously worked as a deputy for the Pender County Sheriff's Office and a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Alan is currently the sheriff of Pender County. He was first elected in 2018. He previously ran for Pender County sheriff in 2022 but did not win.

Supports the resolution but wants to ensure that everyone does their research before making a decision.

Isaac Brickman

Buket Urgen

- The sheriff is responsible for enforcing the law, managing security in jails and courtrooms. They also oversee daily conditions of the jail and inmates in custody and serve legal documents such as warrants and eviction notices. Their ultimate responsibility is to protect the community. 

Responsible for enforcing the law and overseeing jails. 