Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1977 (as the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety) |
Jurisdiction | State of North Carolina |
Headquarters | 512 North Salisbury Street Raleigh, North Carolina |
Agency executive |
|
Child agencies | |
Website | ncdps |
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) is an umbrella agency that carries out many of the state's law enforcement, emergency response and homeland security functions. The department was created in 1977 as the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. In 2012, the North Carolina Department of Correction and the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention were merged with Crime Control & Public Safety to create the new agency. [2]
The department is headed by a secretary of public safety, who is appointed by the governor of North Carolina. The secretary is a member of the North Carolina Cabinet. The most recent Secretary Erik Hooks resigned in August 2021. [3]
The Department of Public Safety is headquartered in the Archdale Building along Halifax Mall in Raleigh. [4] It is broken into sections that cover a wide range of regulatory and law enforcement tasks. [5]
Section | Responsibility |
---|---|
ABC Commission | regulation of alcoholic beverage sales |
Administration | office of the Secretary of Public Safety and general administrative services |
Alarm Systems Licensing Board | regulation of alarm system companies |
Alcohol Law Enforcement | enforcement of state laws for alcohol, tobacco, and other controlled substances, lottery and gambling laws, and the state Boxing Authority |
Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency Programs | substance abuse treatment services for inmates within the North Carolina prison system |
Communications Office | media relations |
Emergency Management | coordinate preparedness and response to a wide range of emergency situations, from chemical and nuclear accidents, to weather-related emergencies. Also oversees the state Civil Air Patrol |
Governor's Clemency Office | advises the Governor regarding pardons for convicted criminals |
Governor's Crime Commission | advises the governor on a wide range of crime issues, as well as administers various federal grant-based programs |
Law Enforcement Services Section | procurement for the states law enforcement agencies |
North Carolina National Guard | State militia |
Private Protective Services Board | regulation of private security companies |
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation | assist local, county, and state law enforcement agencies with criminal investigations |
North Carolina State Capitol Police | state security police charged with protection of state property and personnel |
North Carolina State Highway Patrol | highway safety and enforcement of state traffic laws |
Victims Compensation Services | provides financial reimbursement for medical expenses and other support services for crime victims |
The juvenile section has the following juvenile long-term commitment facilities, called "youth development centers": [6]
Over the recommendations of the prison staff, a private maintenance contract with the Keith Corporation and the manner in which the contract was renewed resulted in an FBI investigation as reported by the News & Observer . [8] [9]
At the prison located in Tabor City, NC, as reported by WECT in February 2014, the new administrator was accused of forcing employees to pay the new administrator for promotions through an administrator-designed "fundraising" campaign. According to WECT, "still, an October e-mail sent by Prison Administrator Patsy Chavis to staff reads, "We cannot require anyone to pay...however supervisors need to be encouraged to participate... Please let me know if you encounter any resistance or unwillingness to pay.". [10] After an internal investigation lasting only a few weeks, the state found no "wrongdoing" in the fundraising effort but halted the program until "state prison administrators and auditors can develop formal policy guidelines for employee fundraising activities.". [11]
Another issue at the same prison, in February 2014, was the death of a 39-year-old inmate, in which an autopsy was needed to determine the cause of death. The cause of death was originally reported as having been natural causes; [12] however, a WECT report from July 2015 revealed an autopsy performed by the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner's Office concluded his death was caused by methanol toxicity, possibly due to "drinking a mixture of hand sanitizer and other unidentified fluids." According to the same report, the Department of Public Safety conducted an internal investigation, but did not publicly release their findings. [13]
In June 2017, the Charlotte Observer launched a series of articles that found a hidden world of drugs, sex, and gang violence – much of it fueled by employees within the prison system. As a result of these articles, the North Carolina General Assembly has directed state prison leaders to turn over information about contraband, hiring practices, and employee misconduct. Another article covered how tax dollars were used to fund drugs, cell phones, and abuse in the prison system. [14] An additional story found that the "staff shortages in North Carolina's prisons have climbed to dangerous levels over the past two years." [15]
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that the 5 deaths of officers in 2017 may have been prevented by better staffing. [16]
After its review, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety could make recommendations to the full legislature before it convenes for the 2018 session in May 2018. [17]
WBTV reported that a prison employee stated that prison administrators have taken steps to manipulate the numbers in an attempt to cover the deep extent of the staffing shortage. [18] Another report by the same station stated that safety audit teams routinely overlook safety problems to benefit their friends. "You and I both know that when I go to your facility or when you go to my facility to look at security issues, we sort of take a cursory glance because we don't want to hurt our buddies' feelings at another facility, [19]
Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina, on its southeastern border. Its county seat is Whiteville. As of the 2020 census, the population is 50,623. The 2020 census showed a loss of 12.9% of the population from that of 2010. This included an inmate prison population of approximately 2,500.
Tabor City is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. It is the southernmost town in the county. It is located just north of the North Carolina/South Carolina line, about 39 miles (63 km) north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and is just north of Loris, South Carolina. The population was 2,511 as of the 2010 census.
Timothy Keith Moore is an American attorney and politician who has been the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2015. A Republican, Moore represents the 111th State House District, which includes Cleveland County. Moore was first elected to the state House in 2002.
The North Carolina Cabinet is the group of unelected heads of the executive departments of the Government of North Carolina. It is separate and distinct from the North Carolina Council of State, the members of which are elected statewide, and which makes up the rest of the executive leadership of the government. All cabinet secretaries are appointed by the governor.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) is the highway patrol agency for North Carolina which has no per-se "state police" agency. The Patrol has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations and on the Cherokee Indian Reservation or on Cherokee outlying lands in the western mountains. NCSHP personnel at times conduct formations, inspections, honor guard activities. The primary mission of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is to ensure safe and efficient transportation on the streets and highways, reduce crime, protect against terrorism, enforce motor vehicle laws, and respond to natural and man-made disasters.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is a state-level law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) is a public community college in Wilmington, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 23,000 students each year. The service area of Cape Fear Community College includes New Hanover and Pender counties with a main campus located in downtown Wilmington and satellite campuses in Castle Hayne, Burgaw, and Surf City.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
Alexander Correctional Institution (AXCI) is a North Carolina Department of Public Safety state prison for men, located in Taylorsville, North Carolina. The facility opened in 2004 as one of three 1000-bed Close Custody prisons built in the state.
The Tabor Correctional Institution, also known as Tabor City Prison, is a prison within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety located in Tabor City, North Carolina. It houses over 1700 mixed classification inmates. The prison opened in 2008. The prison is located at 4600 West Swamp Fox Highway.
The Tabor-Loris Tribune is a weekly newspaper serving Tabor City, North Carolina and Loris, South Carolina in the southeastern United States. It was founded in 1946 by W. Horace Carter. In 1953 two journalists for the paper won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after a series of articles on the Ku Klux Klan that led to an FBI investigation, resulting in 254 convictions of Klansmen. The paper was renamed the Tabor-Loris Tribune in 2010 and has been cited by other organizations for its local news coverage.
The 2018 election in North Carolina's 9th congressional district was held on November 6, 2018, to elect a member for North Carolina's 9th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue was created in 1921 by the North Carolina General Assembly. The department is headed by a Secretary that is appointed by the Governor. The secretary is a member of the North Carolina Cabinet. Currently, the department is responsible for administering the collection of the North Carolina state income tax, gasoline tax, sales tax, beverage tax, and inheritance tax.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of North Carolina on March 3, 2020.
Mandy Krauthamer Cohen is an American internist, public health official, and healthcare executive serving as the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since July 10, 2023. She was previously the executive vice president at Aledade and chief executive officer of Aledade Care Solution, a healthcare company.
Michael A. Sprayberry is an American emergency manager who served as the Director of Emergency Management in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from 2013 to 2021. He oversaw the state's emergency response to several major disasters including Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Florence, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Pasquotank Correctional Institution is a state prison located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Erik Adrian Hooks is an American public safety official who is currently serving as the deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He previously served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from January 2017 to August 2021.
James Opelton Bradley is an American serial killer who murdered his stepdaughter in 1988 and two other women in North Carolina in 2013 and 2014.