North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Wednesday he wants to add staffing to the attorney general’s office to combat fentanyl trafficking and solve long-running sexual assault crimes, as well as increase funding for law enforcement agencies to recruit and retain officers.
Stein, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor this fall, held a news conference with several police chiefs and sheriffs to highlight her legislative priorities during this year’s state legislative session.
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“We face serious public safety issues that threaten the well-being of people in our communities,” Stein said. “There are real, concrete steps Congress can take to address these issues.”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein speaks about crime prevention and public safety efforts during a press conference at the Department of Justice Building, Monday, May 1, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Stein said he wants to hire several lawyers for a fentanyl management unit that will assist local prosecutors in trafficking and overdose cases, which are considered time-consuming and complex. In 2022, there were about 3,400 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in North Carolina, Stein said.
He also wants to hire several new staff members to establish a “cold case unit” within the Justice Department. He said the recent elimination of delays in testing thousands of police-managed sexual assault kits has led to more matches between collected DNA and profiles in the national DNA database.
The squad of experienced sex crimes investigators “can assist busy local law enforcement officers and breathe new life into cold cases,” Stein said.
He also presented a series of proposals to address vacancies at police stations and prisons and efforts to attract workers to law enforcement.
His office said the package would cost $23 million and include bonuses for graduates of the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program and bonuses for out-of-state or former military police officers who want to work in the field in North Carolina. It is expected to include relocation allowance. .
He also supports legislation to allow retired police officers to return to work without adversely affecting their retirement benefits and to allow veteran officers to stay on the job without jeopardizing special financial benefits.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said there are more than 80 vacancies to work at the county’s jail, which currently holds about 400 people.
“Obviously we need the right staff and the right people to run this facility safely and securely,” said Birkhead, who has several of his patrol officers working at the prison as stopgap measures.
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Republicans, who control the General Assembly, are often at odds with Mr. Stein, but lawmakers and the attorney general have pushed for anti-crime legislation in the past on a bipartisan basis.
Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be Stein’s rival in the November gubernatorial election. Mr Robinson has spoken out against “soft-on-crime” policies that release dangerous criminals onto the streets. In his speech aired on statewide television in 2023, Robinson said police deserve respect, need proper training and equipment to de-escalate dangerous situations, and that they are treated like “political pawns.” He said they should not be treated as such.
