Topics Related to General

Department of Public Safety Requests Investigation into Inmate Death

Officials with the Department of Public Safety have requested that law enforcement look into the cause of death of an inmate at Caledonia Correctional Institution.

A correctional sergeant found Charles Moss (0504341) unresponsive just before midnight Wednesday night. Correctional staff initiated CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and called EMS and the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office. Attempts to resuscitate the inmate were not successful and EMS pronounced Moss deceased just before 1 a.m.

Joint operation nets 123 arrests in Robeson County

 A three day initiative dubbed Operation Zero Hour resulted in the arrest of 123 individuals and the service of 170 warrants charging individuals for various violent crimes including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, child molestation, and parole/probation violations.  Beginning in the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday February 23rd, law enforcement officers in Robeson County hit the streets in search of some of the area’s most dangerous offenders. 

Public Safety Remembers Two Leaders During Black History Month

One was spirited and outspoken, the other calm and quiet. Both men became leaders in their agencies after enduring the struggles of being among the first in their fields.Talmadge “Pete” Barnett and Richard W. Holden worked during the turbulent civil rights era, and led the way for other minorities. At the end of their careers, Barnett was a regional commander of what was then the Division of Prisons, and Holden was the commander of the State Highway Patrol.

Tarheel Challenge Academy Has Refurbished Bus from Prison System

The New London and Tarheel Challenge Academy cadets used their newly refurbished bus Feb. 12 when cadets traveled to Raleigh to visit the state legislative building and the Museum of Natural Sciences. The former prison bus is a result of interagency cooperation among the Department of Public Safety's Fleet and Materials Management, Adult Correction and the North Carolina National Guard.The cadets' trip was used to reinforce classroom lessons about history and state government. The N.C. National Guard operates two Tarheel Challenge Academies in New London and Salemburg.

Long-time Juvenile Justice employee wins John R. Larkins Award

Administration Secretary Bill Daughtridge Jr. today presented Stanley C. Melvin, director of Pitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Greenville, with the prestigious John R. Larkins Award during the 2016 State Employees Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in downtown Raleigh. This award is the highest civil rights honor that can be won by a state employee.

DPS Employees Receive Badge of Excellence

Badge of Excellence awards were bestowed on 14 Department of Public Safety employees at a ceremony Jan. 21 held at the Joint Force Headquarters.DPS Secretary Frank Perry commended the work of the employees and quoted Aristotle on the meaning of excellence, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”“Today, we do not honor only their outstanding contributions,” Perry said, “but also a fantastic group of individuals whose very nature is to be excellent in what they do.”

Secretary Perry Addresses Eastern Gang Conference

Department of Public Safety Secretary Frank Perry addressed attendees of the 10th Annual Eastern North Carolina Gang Conference held at the University of Mount Olive on Jan. 7.“We have a growing, serious gang problem,” Perry said. “Ninety percent of violent crime is caused by gangs.” However, Perry said that North Carolina is ahead of most states in being on top of the gang problem because of the technological resources in place, good law enforcement and dedicated community groups.