Biographies: Town of Duck Police Department

Police Chief Phillip Ferguson

Chief Ferguson was named as the Town of Duck's Police Chief on December 21, 2007. He has been with the Duck Police Department since its inception being the first police officer hired by the Town in April 2003.  He was promoted to the position of Assistant Chief of Police at the rank of Lieutenant in June 2005 and has previously served as the Town's interim Chief of Police.

He holds a North Carolina Justice Academy Criminal Investigator’s Certificate, a North Carolina Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate with over 2,400 hours of training, and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Bloodhound Association. He first became involved with tracking Bloodhounds nearly 23 years ago with The Kentucky Bloodhound Search and Rescue Association. Chief Ferguson is currently training and working with his partner Morse. Morse, whelped December 7, 2000, is an AKC registered male Bloodhound. The Bloodhound tracks by an individual’s scent to find lost persons and apprehend criminals.

“My family and I have been blessed to live on the Outer Banks. I am both honored and happy to work with and for such fine people. Please know that Morse and I are at your service.”

First Sergeant Jeff Ackerman

First Sergeant Ackerman moved to the Outer Banks from the Washington DC area in 1990 and grew up in Nags Head, NC. Jeff was very active in the Nags Head Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department for many years.

Jeff is a graduate of Manteo High School. After high school Jeff enrolled at Wilson Technical Community College’s Criminal Justice Program and subsequently transferred to the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC; where he completed Basic Law Enforcement Training. Jeff began his carrer as a patrolman with the Nags Head Police Department. After two and one half years Jeff accepted a position with the Dare County Sheriff’s Office. There Jeff worked under long time Sheriff A.L. “Bert” Austin as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Officer. Jeff was assigned to both Manteo and Kitty Hawk Elementary Schools. Jeff also served as program manager for the Sheriff’s Therapeutic Wilderness Program, Alpine Tower, and Bicycle Safety Program. In this capacity Jeff wrote and maintained grants and fundraising activities to benefit the youth of Dare County. Jeff was appointed to serve on the Dare County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. When not working with youth, Jeff spent much of his time assisting the Sheriff’s Civil and Beach District offices. While Jeff loved every minute spent with “little people” he saw an opportunity to return to community policing in a start-up police department.

In 2007 Jeff was promoted to the rank of First Sergeant and currently supervises a patrol shift, as well as assisting the Chief and Lieutenant with various administrative tasks. In addition, Jeff works to locate grant funding for valuable programs that benefit the citizens and visitors of Duck.

Jeff is married, has two beautiful beagles, and spends most of his free time riding his Harley-Davidson, traveling and home gardening.

Sergeant Jeffrey S. Deringer

Sergeant Jeff Deringer moved to the Outer Banks from the northern Missouri area.

Jeff worked for the State of North Carolina Administrative Officer of the Courts in the Juvenile Services Office and received training from the North Carolina Justice Academy. In 1999 he attended Halifax Community College completed the Detention Officer Training Program after accepting a job as a Detention Officer with the Dare County Sheriff's Office. In 2001, Jeff was appointed as a Field Training Officer at the Detention Center. In 2002, he attended the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, North Carolina; where he completed Basic Law Enforcement Training. Jeff continued his career with the Sheriff's Office as a Deputy Sheriff assigned to the Civil Process Division. In 2004 Jeff was promoted to Corporal and re-assigned as a School Resource Officer at First Flight Middle School in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. During his time in this position, Jeff was a part of the Sheriff's Therapeutic Wilderness Program, conducted bicycle safety events, and served with the Dare County Teen Court Program. When not working with youth, Jeff served in the Sheriff's Beach District Patrol.

Jeff was certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association in 2004 as a Police Cyclist. In 2005, he attended the School Resource Officer Leadership Program and was awarded certificates for the completion of Apprenticeship as a Deputy Sheriff from the United States Department of Labor and the North Carolina Department of Labor.

In January 2007 Jeff was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and currently supervises a patrol shift, as well as assisting the Chief, Lieutenant, and First Sargeant with various administrative tasks.

Jeff is married, has a beautiful daughter and spends his free time cycling with his family, working in the yard and traveling to the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

Officer Tara D. Armstrong

Officer Tara Armstrong is a 23 year old born in Petersburg, VA. and raised in Currituck County, NC. She graduated from Currituck County High School in 2000 and then went to further her education at East Carolina University. In 2004, as scheduled, she graduated with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice. She then completed Basic Law Enforcement at the College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City in December, 2004.

She was then hired as a part time Deputy at the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Department for four months. In July 2005, she decided that the Duck Police Department was where she wanted to start her first full time career as a Police Officer.

Officer G.J. Couture

"After serving three years active duty in the US Army as an armored crew member on the M1-A1 Tank, I settled in North Carolina in 1993 and have worked as a police officer since 1995. As a police officer I take particular interest in educating the young against the effects of drinking and driving, having lost a younger brother to a DWI car accident. I enjoy working with the public to solve problems in the community. I feel fortunate to be a member of the Duck Police Department. This has proven to be an enjoyable and educational experience. I look forward to working closer with members of the community to improve the quality of life for those who live and visit the Town of Duck."

Officer Becky S. Gardner

Officer Gardner began her law enforcement career in Pennsylvania after graduating from the Pennsylvania ACT 120 Police Academy. Upon graduation she accepted a position with the Clinton County Sheriff's Office as Deputy and as a part time patrol officer with the Mill Hall Police Department. She went on to work as a School Resource Officer with the Keystone Central School District before relocating to the Outer Banks during the summer of 2004.
After arriving in North Carolina, Officer Gardner attended BLET training and accepted a position with the Southern Shores Police Department. In 2006, the Duck Police Department was fortunate to hire Officer Gardner who is certainly expected to be a huge asset to the citizens and visitors of Duck.

Officer Tracy Mann

Officer Tracy Mann joined the Duck Police Department in March 2007. Officer Mann is originally from Dare County. Tracy graduated from Manteo High School and then joined the Navy. During her four years in the service Tracy earned her B.S. in Management Studies from the University of Maryland University College. Once Tracy got out of the Navy she attended Appalachian State University and earned a B.S. in Psychology. In 2002 Tracy attended Basic Law Enforcement Training at the College of the Albemarle in Manteo and started working for the Dare County Sheriffs Office. She worked in the patrol division for a few years and then transferred to the 911 center.
Tracy looks forward to working for the Duck Police Department and serving the citizens and visitors of Duck.

Administrative Assistant, Beth Garino

Beth moved from the Ohio Valley to the Outer Banks in June 2002. She served in the US Army as a Combat Medic in Northern Germany and California until 1995. She has been working in the Administrative field since that time. Beth and her son live in Kitty Hawk with their adorable Pug and attend All Saints Episcopal Church in Southern Shores. They enjoy football, basketball, video games and life on the beautiful Outer Banks.

Beth feels fortunate to have been hired by the Town of Duck to help merge the Police and Fire Departments together into the new Duck Public Safety Department.

Officer Morse

Police Chief Phillip Ferguson & "Morse"
Bloodhound Tracking Team

I have been involved with tracking Bloodhounds for almost twenty years. My work with Bloodhounds began in Lexington, Kentucky where I was born and raised. I became involved with the Kentucky Bloodhound Search & Rescue Association, a group of men and women from very diverse backgrounds who came together to work with Bloodhounds. After moving to the Outer Banks in 1987 I was unable to keep hounds for several years; however, in May 2001 I obtained a 6-month-old Bloodhound puppy. D.C.I. Morse of Stirling Bridge is an American Kennel Club registered male Bloodhound. His name is two fold, having been named after Colin Dexter's fictional Detective Chief Inspector Morse followed by my kennel name, Stirling Bridge.

"Morse" is a tracking dog; this is the only work he does. The Bloodhound has the most highly developed nose of all dogs and tracks a person by their individual scent. Scent is not body odor. The human body consists of approximately 60 trillion cells, which are constantly dying. Dying cells are shed from the body at a rate of about 50 million cells every second. After these cells are shed bacteria start to act upon them, and the cells begin to decay. As the cells decay they emit gases, each gaseous odor is slightly different, creating a scent unique to the individual. A person's genetics and environment will affect their scent. Thus as a person moves he leaves a trail of scent. Once a trail is left by a person there are a number of environmental factors that will affect the scent such as wind, temperature, moisture, and time. Further, contaminants such as automobile exhaust fumes, chemicals, vegetable matter, and other human scent may affect the scent trail. Bloodhounds have been known to successfully complete trails that were over 100 hours old and over 50 miles long.

The "scent article" is an item that the missing person or fugitive is known to have had some contact with. Common scent articles include clothing, bedclothes, and automobile seats; however, unusual items such as a tuna can, tool handle, or cigarette lighter have been used successfully as scent articles. The tracking begins by locating a scent article. Depending upon the type of scent article the handler may place the article in a zip lock bag and take it with him. In doing so the handler will use surgical gloves to avoid contaminating the scent article. Then the handler must determine either where the trail begins, or where it likely begins. When the area is located the Bloodhound's harness is put on and the handler allows the dog to smell the scent article. The handler then gives the tracking command. The Bloodhound then smells the area, or "casts", for the scent. When the Bloodhound finds the scent the game is on. There is art in tracking and the Bloodhound is not a machine. The Handler must "read" the hound and know if the dog is having trouble with environmental factors or contamination. Such is the mark of a good handler, and I believe that every handler has the dog he deserves. Now let's dispel a few bits of misinformation concerning Bloodhounds. Most Bloodhounds are friendly; though my rule is that if it has teeth it will bite. Bloodhounds are silent trackers and do not bay on the trail. Bloodhounds work "on lead", not running loose. Bloodhounds are not pack dogs, they usually work alone or occasionally in a pair known as a "brace". I would like to recognize Sandy, my wife, and our daughter Piper who not only put up with Morse, and me, but also are invaluable in our training. For more information on Bloodhounds visit The National Police Bloodhound Association website at www.npba.com.

Please know that both Morse and I are happy to serve you.

Last modified: January 2, 2008; Send email to webmaster@townofduck.com