Easley pushes to fund justice

By Mike Baker
The Associated Press
May 9, 2006

Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley proposed $47.7 million in additional spending Monday for law enforcement and state courts, blaming the federal government for funding gaps.

“We have to do more to make sure North Carolinians are secure and safe,” said Easley, flanked by the state’s top crime and justice officials at a news conference.

The announcement is part of the budget proposal that Easley will unveil today, the same day the General Assembly reconvenes for its short session.

“Good,” was the reaction from Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore, who has said the county needs more assistant district attorneys, more court clerks and more judges.

Easley’s recommendations include spending $5.1 million to hire 90 more assistant district attorneys, along with allocating $3.1 million to hire more staff in court, including 75 deputy clerks.

State lawmakers in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the state District Attorney’s Association would later decide which areas would get any added assistant district attorneys, said Seth Effron, an Easley spokesman.

Moore said he has asked for two additional assistant district attorneys.

“We’ve had a large population increase,” Moore said. “And with more people, we have to handle more cases. That means we need more people.”

More than half of the governor’s measure aims to improve and expand technology. Easley earmarked $13.1 million to upgrade computers used to track evidence and try cases. Another $10 million would go to improve the state’s law enforcement communication network VIPER.

He also recommended putting $1.9 million to upgrade fingerprint monitoring.

Easley also noted an expansion of the state’s sex offender tracking system, which may include GPS monitoring of North Carolina’s worst sex criminals.

“These are just some of the things that I think we can do to make our state more secure, and to make our judicial system operate better for the people of this state,” Easley said.

The federal government was to blame for the extra spending, Easley said. He noted $2.7 million in federal funding set to expire this year.

Staff writers Kerra Bolton and Leslie Boyd contributed to this report.