DPS Dispatch

Tucked away off Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh in the same secure facility as the NC National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters is the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Law enforcement and first responders work tirelessly to keep the public safe day and night. They navigate the roads, especially in times of emergencies, to ensure that everyone remains safe.

This week we celebrated the probation and parole officers (PPO) of North Carolina. We thanked them for their service to our communities and all they do to help keep us safe.

An electronic billboard I pass on my commute to work frequently changes its message. One of its recent one-word messages still resonates with me. The word was “community,” written in such a way as to highlight the word’s final five letters:  UNITY.

Jerlene Epley, one of hundreds of employees who worked at Western Youth Institution during its 41 years of operation, saw it built from the ground-up. On Saturday, June 11, she will see the “High Rise” fall back to the earth.

Summer is upon us, bringing weekend getaways, barbecues, pool excursions and more across the state. This year, summer plans may look a bit different as North Carolina kicks off July in Phase 2 “Safer at Home” as we continue the fight against COVID-19.

Raise the Age – which increased the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16 and 17-year-old children – is bringing an older population in need of services to the Juvenile Justice section of the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

Memorial Day typically marks the beginning of summer travel, but this year has been anything but typical. Many will choose to remain "Safer at Home" this weekend even as North Carolina moves into Phase 2 easing COVID-19 restrictions. Still, others will choose to venture out.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, offenders in North Carolina prisons who needed specialty visits to outside medical centers for treatment of physical ailments could spend an entire day traveling across the state to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, transported by correctional off

Know Your Zone, North Carolina’s new system of coastal evacuation zones, launched earlier this month. It’s a tiered evacuation system that focuses on areas most vulnerable to impacts from hurricanes, tropical storms and other hazards.

Mack Jarvis, the former Secretary of Correction from 1997-98 and lifetime correctional professional, died at his home in Hudson on June 3.

Boating is a great activity that most anyone can enjoy. There are so many things to do while on the water from water sports to fishing or just going for a ride. Follow these tips to make sure everyone stays safe while enjoying the fun. 

A technological advancement brought forth in part by the increase in the age of juvenile jurisdiction last year is allowing the wheels of juvenile justice to continue to turn, virtually, during the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s early May and COVID-19 dominates our thoughts and the news headlines. Hurricane season is the furthest thing from our minds. It’s not though. It’s starts June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Now is the time to prepare to ensure your family is safe in the event a hurricane affects your home.

There isn’t a profession inside or outside law enforcement where employees have to work in an enclosed area with convicted felons every minute of every day.