ONE YEAR ON JOB, CHIEF IS PRAISED

William "Billy" Younginer wasn't the first choice for Carolina Beach
police chief, but he might have turned out to be the right pick.

A year into the job, Younginer gets thumbs up from the residents he
serves, the officers working for him and those who hired him.

At first we were leery, not sure what to expect or where he wanted to
take the department in the future," said Capt. Kurt Bartley, a
17-year veteran in the department. "But after the first week, I felt
comfortable."

Younginer, 50, came to Carolina Beach from a chief's position in
Holly Hill, S.C. The town had offered the job to two other people,
and the former chief left amid controversy.

Mark Dunford resigned as chief in September 2003, citing differences
with town policy.

He disagreed with plans to combine the town's fire and police
departments into a single public safety department. The changes never
came to fruition. The police department also had been hit hard by budget cuts.

Younginer admitted that he was a little nervous at first.

It went well, but they had to get used to me. I like to go out and
ride with them a lot," he said of his officers. "They were kind of
shocked, because I kept doing it. I still ride every weekend with somebody."

Town officials thought Younginer's experience, including time in law
enforcement and as a major in the U.S. Air Force, and his master's
degree in criminal justice from Central Missouri State University,
would make him a good chief. He makes a little more than $62,000 a year.

He's tightened up the department and everyone has accepted him," Town
Manager Calvin Peck said.

Younginer has fulfilled the town's expectations, taking a tough
stance on illegal drugs, developing the department's relationship
with residents, and patrolling Freeman Park, a mile-long stretch on
the northern tip of the island where people can camp and drive, Peck said.

Charles Grissom, a real estate agent and contractor, said Younginer
has tackled growth and traffic issues well and dealt with an
unusually busy summer in Carolina Beach, including arson fires,
clearing a 12-year-old homicide case by arrest and making drug busts.

Crime statistics for Carolina Beach were not available for this
article because the town doesn't keep computerized records.

One of the issues I had to tackle first was that we had some young
people that died from overdoses, and I tried to find where it came
from," the chief said. "I made the narcotics cases the responsibility
of one detective, to get better focus on it."

Younginer hopes to add an officer to handle only narcotics as well as
a bicycle patrol officer and more lifeguards. His current staff
consists of 24 uniformed officers.

He is also working on grants for more equipment, including computers
in police cars, a four-wheeler for beach patrols, and night vision equipment.

Younginer said his planning has to take into account the community's
growth and attraction to tourists.

It's a beach town, so you've got to treat people so they want to come
back every year," he said. "You have to have officers that are
friendly, but at the same time enforce the law."

Beverly Lim, a lifelong Carolina Beach resident and manager of the
SeaWitch Cafe, a business that depends on tourism, said she
appreciates that attitude.

The SeaWitch is a frequent pit stop for local police officers, and
Lim said that from what she could gather, morale was up among officers.

I'm so glad they chose him," she said. "He's very pleasant, and he
blended in right away, just as if he was already a part of the police
department. I could just tell."

Capt. Bartley agreed, saying that the department likes Younginer's
pragmatic approach.

Don't tell me it can't be done. Tell me how we can fix it,' he tells
me all the time," Bartley said. "We are very glad to have him, and we
hope we don't lose him any time soon."

Younginer says he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Oh, I love it here," he said, adding that his wife, Darlene; son,
Jeremy, 25; and daughter, Brandy, 24, feel the same way. "I think I
enjoy it the most because of the people and the work environment, the
officers I have here."