New NC law changes crime victim support and emergency equipment transfers
A new North Carolina law changes crime victim compensation and gives emergency officials more authority to transfer disaster equipment.
DPS
Laura Howard named General Counsel of Department of Public Safety
Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie M. Buffaloe Jr. has named Laura Howard as DPS general counsel. Howard will begin her new position on Jan. 24. As general counsel, she will lead the DPS legal team.
Should N.C. prison system be restored as a standalone agency?
The N.C. prison system, comprising 55 facilities and employing roughly 16,000 staff, is one of the largest agencies in the state. That might surprise some, as prisons, from the real estate they occupy, to the critical role they play in governance, are not foremost in our minds when it comes to policy.
Hooks retires after four years of storms, riots, and a pandemic
Hooks, secretary of the state Department of Public Safety, has served in the role since the beginning of Cooper’s first term. He helped oversee North Carolina's response to hurricanes, violence in understaffed prisons, mob teardowns of Confederate statues on public property, last summer’s riots and protests, and the COVID pandemic.
NC DPS names new Deputy Secretary for partnership engagement
Department of Public Safety Secretary Erik A. Hooks has named Caroline Valand as Deputy Secretary for Partnership Engagement. She will have oversight of the Governor’s Crime Commission; Private Protective Services Board and Alarm Systems Licensing Board; and Victim Services, which staffs the Crime Victims Compensation Commission.