George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

Henderson County's Finest: Officer Shawn Metcalf Hometown Hero

• George Real Estate Group

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Officer Shawn Metcalf shares the heart and soul of community policing in our special 10-year anniversary episode of The George Real Estate Group radio broadcast on WHKP. Inspired by a family tradition of service, Officer Metcalf recounts his 14-year journey in law enforcement and the impactful roles of his own DARE and SRO officers. Tune in to hear about the warmth and allure of Henderson County, from its welcoming community to its quality of life and outdoor activities, and how recent dips in interest rates are shaking up the real estate market. As we celebrate this milestone, we explore the unique stories and connections that make Henderson County a great place to live and invest in.

Discover the unexpected rewards of being a school resource officer as Officer Metcalf opens up about his role over the past two years. With a focus on community policing within schools, he emphasizes the vital relationships built with students and parents and recalls a critical incident at Edneyville Elementary School that underscores the importance of his work. We also delve into how The George Real Estate Group assists newcomers, offering seamless property transactions with no pressure, ensuring everyone feels at home in this beautiful community. Join us for heartwarming stories, valuable insights, and tips on connecting buyers and sellers in Henderson County.

Speaker 1:

The George Real Estate Group radio broadcast is celebrating 10 years on WHKP. The George Real Estate Group is celebrating 10 years on the radio, live every Thursday morning at 10.05 on WHKP 107.7 FM and AM 1450 and streaming online at WHkpcom. Each Friday morning at 845,. The George Real Estate Group presents the Hometown Hero Award to someone in our community who goes above and beyond to make our hometown a better place to live. Here's this week's Hometown Hero Show. Hometown Hero Show. It's 845 and time for our George Real Estate Group Hometown Hero Series. Every Friday morning we honor a hometown hero in our community and it's brought to you by the George Real Estate Group, and we welcome Noah to help us with this task every Friday morning. How are you doing, friend?

Speaker 2:

I'm doing? Well, certainly, you and I share this task every Friday morning. How are you doing, friend? I'm doing well, certainly. You and I share this experience every Friday morning.

Speaker 1:

The highlight of my week again getting to honor incredible men and women serving the community yes, yes, and we've met some wonderful people, the very kind of people who make this place such a destination, right, noah?

Speaker 2:

Well, and it's certainly the secret's out, people are coming here from all over the country for so many reasons, right the quality of life, the amazing community we live in, all the outdoor activities, the four distinct seasons. But it's really the people, I think, that are drawn when they meet incredible people, they have their experiences and they say they want that it's something that they, you know people are moving here. They're moving their dreams forward. They're not waiting to move here and there's so many reasons why people might come, but they're coming.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and maybe even more so with recent reductions in interest rates.

Speaker 2:

Interest rates absolutely have made a drop and it's a great time to buy. It's a great time to sell. Just a quick snapshot Henderson County is averaging 123 single-family homes a month, selling Our average single-family home price $552. We've had an 8% appreciation and that's pure supply and demand. I don't see it stopping anytime soon. The inventory levels are still low. It's like a four-month supply and demand and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Inventory levels are still low. It's like a four-month supply of inventory. But again, it's only right if it's right for you, and so we'd love to help. Give us a call at 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom. But it's a privilege and honor to sponsor the Hometown Hero series.

Speaker 1:

Well, help me in welcoming our Good morning to you, Sean.

Speaker 3:

Good morning sir.

Speaker 1:

How are?

Speaker 3:

you. I'm doing well. I hope you are.

Speaker 1:

Good, Stephanie Cantwell is here also with us this morning as we honor Officer Sean Metcalf, who is a school resource officer here in Henderson County. And Sean, you've been in law enforcement how long now?

Speaker 3:

14 years, sir. Okay, 14 years.

Speaker 1:

Are you a native of Henderson County?

Speaker 3:

I actually am not. I grew up in Buncombe County in the Avers Creek Arden area, so real close to the Mills River area. But my wife is a native of Henderson County, so I think I get grouped in you. Do you get a pass?

Speaker 2:

And Buncombe County is pretty close. I mean it's amazing. And so 14 years? I'm always curious who had an influence in your life that had an impact that made you want to go into this career?

Speaker 3:

So I come from a family of service. My grandfather served in the US Army and he was an MP. My father was in the US Air Force. My older brother was US Army. What got me into law enforcement was my DARE officer and my SRO in high school, dana Fox for the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office he retired several years ago now was my DARE officer in fifth grade and he just made a huge impact. And then I had a another officer officer, steve Oxner, who was, I think is still with Buncombe or he's close toward retirement. He was my SRO in high school and they just made a huge impact.

Speaker 2:

What did they mean to you as it as growing up and having their influence on your life? So they.

Speaker 3:

They never didn't have time for a kid like they. You know, no matter how busy they were, they, they made it a point to engage with you. Even if it was just, you know, a silly question you have as a kid, right, they wouldn't blow it off, they would sit there and they would talk to you. In high school, officer Ochsner was just there, he was with everybody. You know he went through all the groups and you know he went through all the groups and you know he was just, he was so available, like you know, if you knew, if you had a problem you could go talk to him. And that really struck with me. And yeah, they were, they were a huge impact. And then, of course, with my family, with the history of service, I mean, it was, it's funny. So, like I said, my older brother was in the army. He is now a DOD contractor with the government, my younger brother is a paramedic and my younger sister is a nurse.

Speaker 2:

So, the entire family is in service. That's powerful.

Speaker 1:

It really is. It sounds like when the opportunity presented itself to you to become a school resource officer, I guess in your mind you said said this is easy because I got a great role model here.

Speaker 3:

You know it's interesting and I've told people I've done a few things in my career. I actually never saw myself as a school resource officer. It wasn't anything like I didn't think it was a cool job. It's just not something that you know. I guess early on in my career I thought about I've been doing it for two years now and it has been some of the best times I've had in my career. Far and none Tell us about the school that you're at right now.

Speaker 3:

Currently I'm at North Henderson High School. I took over there this year, starting this school year. Love it there, it's a great school. Go Knights, they got. Love it there, it's a great school. Go Knights. They got a game tonight. So I hope they can. They can pull that off, but yeah, absolutely love it. And then, prior to that, I was at Edneyville Elementary. Love Edneyville, that's where I started. My son actually goes to Edneyville, so you know it was. It was really cool to be able to be doing a job that I that I love and that I think is very important in law enforcement, but also got to see my son every day. You job that I love and that I think is very important in law enforcement, but also got to see my son every day. You know what I mean and this job whether I mean when you're working patrol, doing things like that you're on those swinging shifts, you miss a lot of time with family.

Speaker 2:

It's a sacrifice.

Speaker 3:

It is it is. And having the opportunity to still do a job I love and be able to be there with my family too that's amazing.

Speaker 1:

Every school has a school resource officer in Henderson County and the city right.

Speaker 3:

Yes, sir, we're very blessed in that way. It's not that way across the state. It's common across the entire state.

Speaker 2:

The commitment that the Henderson County Sheriff's Office has in the police department to do that for Henderson County speaks volumes for our community, because that's not the norm.

Speaker 3:

Exactly yeah, and everybody that I work with. They're top notch, they're motivated, they're there for the right reasons. They care about those kids. You get so ingrained in that community and that's another part of it. It is community policing, like you get to know you get to know your kids. You get to know your parents. It's always funny to me to not be in uniform and be recognized and some kid comes running up to you in the store and the parents are kind of looking at you and you have to be like hey, and then they're like oh, you know so, but you, you build those, you build those relationships, build that community.

Speaker 3:

Um, they, they know they can trust you. I mean that's our resource, right, that's our most precious resource, that's our next generation, you know, and everybody that I work with, from the top to the bottom, takes that serious, along along with the sheriff's office and the city PD as a whole. Everybody takes that serious. But in the SRO specifically, I mean they take that to heart and that's huge.

Speaker 1:

We have had the privilege of having several school resource officers sit in that chair that you're sitting in, and I have become very acutely aware of how important that position is in our schools. You said you started at Edneyville Elementary School.

Speaker 3:

Yes, sir, I did.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's the reason you're here. We want to go back to October, and it's soon to be a year that, uh, it was a very eventful day at Edneyville Elementary, right, sean?

Speaker 3:

yes, sir, it was, um, tell us about that day, so uh, was made aware that there was a an incident going on in the city. I've, for their reasons, I'm not going to comment on what that was Right. They had a description and a vehicle description, and this group that I work with everybody is always paying attention, even outside things, and so the information was just absolutely flowing. I was contacted by my supervisor and given those descriptions. I was contacted by my supervisor and given those descriptions and I realized, hey, that sounds like somebody that that comes to my school on a regular basis, like that is. And and then, when the vehicle description came out, honestly that's what got me over the top immediately yes, I mean, I was like okay, so I, uh, I contacted my supervisor directly, let him know.

Speaker 3:

Know, hey, I'm going to go ahead and lock everything down, pull everything in. I'm going to go outside and I wanted to be outside because you never know, right, and if I can deal with the situation away from everybody, if I have that opportunity to pick that ground, I'm going to pick that ground every time. That just makes it safer. Stepped outside, just looking around the way that school is designed. It sets down in a dip so you can see the main road being pace road. The other entrance is always locked. There's a gate that during school days is shut. So I knew you know you can't get through that easily looked up and I and I happened to see that vehicle coming in and so waited. One of the things I like to do at a school is I like to get known by people. Right, if you know people, you build those relationships. I really, in that instance, think that came into play. Also the fact that we were aware of it so quickly.

Speaker 3:

I mean that, that Well, that speaks to the efficiency in communication of your organization Absolutely, and so, fortunately, as far as what that situation could have been could have gone, you know Lord was looking out. It went the best possible way it could have gone. It was over with and done in a matter of minutes and I had additional officers already on the way to me. I made some radio communications, um, and you know, in in this line of work, when you're dealing with something and you don't know, I mean you don't, and so when you hear all those sirens coming and you hear, you know everybody, all the people are coming to help you out, you know it's, it's, it's a, it's a comforting feeling. You know, um, like I said, it went about as smoothly as it possibly could have gone for what it was in that situation and uh, and that's what you prepare for.

Speaker 2:

I mean, you guys absolutely every day, are preparing for absolutely and and we get great training on that.

Speaker 3:

I mean, we're constantly training, uh, very proactive, uh, with the sheriff's office on on the trainings we get to go to and having that, and then, like I said, that goes, and it goes back to the people too. Right, it's not just me, it's the other people I work with. They have that mindset of not what if, but what when, and that will carry the day. You know you're not going to be surprised. You know that takes that surprise out of it. You know this is, this could happen, or you know just it. You know eventually something's going to happen. I'm ready for it. There's not a shock and and, like I said, everybody in this division, I feel like they're that way that they're, they're thinking about that every day, you know so absolutely well, it could have been so easy for that car not to be known.

Speaker 1:

So you make it your job at the school drop-off every day to put a face with a car. Put a face with a car.

Speaker 3:

And that you know at the elementary school I would make sure to be out, and all the guys and girls do this be out in that car rider line. That's how you learn your family, that's how you learn your people. And you build that relationship, make that connection, and so again, yes, sir, it goes to it. You learn who goes with who, what vehicle you know at the high school level.

Speaker 1:

Same thing. Who's the parking lot?

Speaker 3:

who's kids, who's driving what? The people coming in, and that way, when you see something that doesn't look right, I don't know that vehicle. Well, now it's my business to find out who you are.

Speaker 2:

The School Resource Office division is incredible.

Speaker 1:

Can't say thank you enough, Sean. You were recently recognized. Tell us about that recognition. Yes, sir.

Speaker 3:

I was awarded the CC McGee SRO of the Year for the state of North Carolina this past summer.

Speaker 2:

It was a surprise, I didn't know it was going to happen For the entire state of North Carolina, For the entire state. Yes, sir.

Speaker 3:

Wow, someone sitting beside me engineered a surprise. My family was actually able to be there. It was down in Concord, didn't know they were coming in. So they read off the letter and you know the October date was mentioned. So I knew immediately. And they get a kick out of this. I don't do well with this kind of stuff.

Speaker 2:

And it's not that I don't appreciate it.

Speaker 3:

I very much appreciate it. It means the world to me. You're very humble yeah and it's just the way I've always been. Yeah, and it's just the way I've always been. So I go up to accept the award and one of the board members tapped me on the arm as I went by and pointed to the back of the room. And I'll be honest with you. I'm already like oh man, I've got to talk to like 600 people.

Speaker 3:

And I look and here comes Lieutenant Cantwell and my family and the command staff and my supervisor, who actually wasn't at that conference, corporal Guerin, and I was just like oh man yeah. And it got very emotional because they asked me to talk about it and I mentioned my son goes to Edneyville. My son was there that day and you don't. You know that training kicks in and it's hard to explain unless you've been there. You just kind of start going to work. Later, you know, in the quietness you start thinking about what it could have been what could have happened?

Speaker 3:

and and I remembered having a conversation with someone when they found out I was going to that school because they were like you know, hey, you know your kid goes there. That's got to be an extra level of stress. And I said, well, the way I, the way I look at it and at the time they had about 460 students at Edneyville. I was like all 460 of those kids are my kids. And I said, if I think of it that way, then that means my kid is taken care of too, and that's the way I look at it.

Speaker 1:

Sean, thank you so much. Congratulations for being recognized for your heroism and we thank you from the George Real Estate Group. Join us each Friday morning for our hometown hero. The George Real Estate Group wants you to know it's a great time to sell your home.

Speaker 2:

That's right If you've been holding on to those low interest rates and waiting to buy, but you want to sell. It's a great time to do both. Prices are at an all-time high. The average single-family home price in Henderson County is over $550,000, an 8% appreciation. We're averaging 123 single-family homes a month selling and inventory levels are low. It's a great time to buy and sell.

Speaker 1:

Henderson County is always welcoming new people to our area and the George Real Estate Group can help you facilitate the sale or the buy.

Speaker 2:

That's right. There's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation to have a confidential consultation. Give us a call at 828-393-0134. Be sure to tune into our weekly radio shows and also follow us on social media and our podcast.

Speaker 1:

The George real estate group is located in flat rock, north Carolina, near Hendersonville in Henderson County. You can find them online at real estate by gregcom. The George real estate group can be reached at 8, 2, 8, 3, 9, 3, 0, 1, 3, 4, or stop by their office at 2720 Greenville Highway, flat Rock, north Carolina. Tune in live each week on Thursdays at 10.05 am on WHKP 107.7 FM and 1450 am, or stream online at whkpcom or download these podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. The george real estate group brings you the whkp hometown hero series every friday morning at 8 45.