NORTH CAROLINA AGENCY GUIDES
Craven County law enforcement
A detailed guide to Craven County law enforcement, agency jurisdictions, local history, courts, FBI and SBI office coverage, and published crime data.
- County seat
- New Bern
- Established
- 1705
- Region
- Coastal Plain
- County government
- Official county website
Craven County at a glance
Craven County links New Bern, its historic county seat, with Havelock and several smaller riverfront municipalities. The county has a substantial municipal-agency network: a New Bern police inquiry, a Havelock incident, and a sheriff's report should not be treated as the same administrative matter.
Craven occupies the eastern Coastal Plain. Its official county history emphasizes the county seat's importance as a river port between the Albemarle and Cape Fear regions. Communities include Bridgeton, River Bend, Trent Woods and Vanceboro, each with its own local setting and verified police presence.
Law enforcement in Craven County
The sheriff provides county law enforcement and, according to the county departments page, maintains the jail, courthouse security and service of legal papers. Craven's regional E-911 center serves the county and Bridgeton, Vanceboro, Trent Woods and River Bend and can back up New Bern and Havelock. Shared communications do not merge these departments into one agency; each retains its own identity.
County history and community context
The area was organized as Archdale Precinct in 1705 and received the Craven name in 1712, honoring a Lord Proprietor. New Bern was founded in 1710 by Christoph von Graffenried and incorporated in 1723. Its Swiss-derived name and river-port development place it within a long history of settlement, trade and government in eastern North Carolina.
Courts, public records and official resources
Start with the office that created the record. The law-enforcement sources below identify the sheriff and any independently verified municipal or campus departments; a report from one department is not automatically maintained by another. For a court filing, judgment, civil action, or case-calendar question, use the county Judicial Branch page and the Clerk of Superior Court contacts linked there. County-government sources provide a separate route to county departments and administrative records. This directory does not promise access to confidential personnel files, investigative material, or recordings, and it does not state a release deadline without a verified applicable rule.
The North Carolina Judicial Branch maintains the Craven County court-services page at https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/craven-county. Its county navigation provides local court information, courthouse and contact details, calendars, local rules and forms, and jury-service guidance. Consult the Judicial Branch page for the particular matter and current filing instructions; the sheriff, a municipal police station, a jail, and the courthouse are different destinations. Verify the hearing location and case-specific notice before traveling.
FBI and SBI regional offices
FBI office coverage
Greenville covers Craven County under the Charlotte Field Office. The FBI investigates federal matters; this assignment does not replace local emergency response.
Charlotte Field Office: 704-672-6100 · 7915 Microsoft Way, Charlotte, NC 28273. Official FBI coverage directory.
NC SBI district
Coastal District — Jacksonville · 470 Dolphin Drive, Jacksonville, N.C. 28546 · (910) 939-6200. Official SBI district-office directory.
For an emergency call 911. The federal and state office contacts are provided for jurisdictional research and administrative inquiries.
Published crime and personnel data
The NC SBI’s county table reports selected Index offenses from contributing agencies in 2024. It is separate from the FBI’s 2025 reporting year and is not a count of all possible offenses.
| Offense category | Published count |
|---|---|
| Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter | 5 |
| Rape | 18 |
| Robbery | 22 |
| Aggravated assault | 196 |
| Burglary | 262 |
| Larceny-theft | 859 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 61 |
Published county-table Index total: 1,423. SBI Index offenses by agency in county.
| Published agency label | Index total | Murder | Rape | Robbery | Aggravated assault | Burglary | Larceny | Vehicle theft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craven Co. Sheriff | 473 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 112 | 228 | 43 |
| Havelock | 296 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 61 | 199 | 2 |
| New Bern | 650 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 88 | 89 | 428 | 16 |
| Trent Woods | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
A county total depends on the reporting agencies and source-table coverage. Missing agencies or blank values must not be treated as zero. Published totals are not a safety ranking and do not establish an agency’s performance.
| Agency | Reported violent crime | Reported property crime | Full-time sworn · Oct. 31 | Full-time civilian · Oct. 31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeton Police Department | Not published | Not published | 1 | 0 |
| Craven County Sheriff's Office | 111 | 433 | 104 | 46 |
| Havelock Police Department | Not published | Not published | 25 | 10 |
| New Bern Police Department | 130 | 588 | 85 | 25 |
| River Bend Police Department | Not published | Not published | 6 | 0 |
| Trent Woods Police Department | Not published | Not published | 5 | 0 |
| Vanceboro Police Department | Not published | Not published | 3 | 0 |
These are individual agency rows, not whole-county totals. Cross-county departments may serve territory beyond Craven County. Each linked profile identifies its FBI source table and reporting label. Do not sum these rows to compare with the SBI’s different year and coverage.
Explore statewide FBI figures, reporting definitions and methodology →
Service arrangements and roster notes
Historical reporting lists can include former departments, contract arrangements, facilities and subordinate units. The notes below distinguish those entries from the agency profiles above.
- Military installation law enforcement at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is a separate federal/military jurisdiction, not a Havelock Police division.
Sources and review date
Official agency, government and institutional sources are linked below. Contact details and organizational information were reviewed September 24, 2026. Published statistical years are identified separately.