Paula Dance

Paula S. Dance is the current Sheriff of Pitt County, first elected on November 6, 2018, and is currently serving her second term. She made history as the first African-American Sheriff in Pitt County and the first African-American female Sheriff in North Carolina. Her law enforcement career spans over three decades, beginning in Martin County before she joined the Pitt County Sheriff's Office in 1994. Throughout her career, she has risen through the ranks, serving as Sergeant of the Domestic Violence Unit, a Major Crimes Investigator, Lieutenant, Captain, and eventually Major, the third in command, in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Mount Olive.