The Governor’s Next Press Conference

The governor’s been doing a lot of talking lately about cleaning up the probation mess and Senator Phil Berger’s just announced he’s taking her at her word and introducing a bill to help.

 

First, Senator Berger wants the legislature to pass a law to make it legal for all “probation and law enforcement officers to conduct warrantless searches of convicted criminals as a condition of probation.” That eliminates one of the problems the News and Observer reported – where a probation officer in Harnett County was reprimanded for ‘harassment’ after searching a drug dealer who was on probation. (It seems the officer’s superior concluded the search was harassment because the drug dealer had moved to a neighboring county and was, technically, no longer under the officer’s jurisdiction.)

 

How on earth is Governor Perdue going to say no to that? She should have recommended it herself.

 

Second, again according to the News and Observer, the probation board has ‘lost’ track of 14,000 criminals. (Worse, criminals on probation have killed 600 people.)

 

Senator Berger and Representative Skip Stam want the governor to immediately provide the public “with information about the ‘lost’ criminals by requiring the name, photograph and last known whereabouts of missing probationers be listed on the state website.”

 

It’s hard not to wonder why the governor didn’t already do that on her own too.

 

Finally, Berger and Stam want the governor to provide “weekly update briefings on progress – or lack of progress – in locating missing criminals.”

 

In other words they’re challenging Perdue to make her progress on solving the problem public – instead of keeping it under wraps. How on earth does Perdue say no to that?

 

The governor’s on vacation this week but when she gets back her next press conference might be interesting.

 

Question: Governor, do you support Senator Berger’s bill on warrantless searches of criminals on probation?

 

Question: Governor, will you post pictures of the ‘lost’ probationers on the state website?

 

Question: Governor, will you call a press conference next week to let us know how many lost probationers you’ve found?

 

My guess is Republicans just struck a real blow to help clean up the probation mess.

 

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Carter Wrenn

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The Governor’s Next Press Conference

The governor’s been doing a lot of talking lately about cleaning up the probation mess and Senator Phil Berger’s just announced he’s taking her at her word and introducing a bill to help.

 

First, Senator Berger wants the legislature to pass a law to make it legal for all “probation and law enforcement officers to conduct warrantless searches of convicted criminals as a condition of probation.” That eliminates one of the problems the News and Observer reported – where a probation officer in Harnett County was reprimanded for ‘harassment’ after searching a drug dealer who was on probation. (It seems the officer’s superior concluded the search was harassment because the drug dealer had moved to a neighboring county and was, technically, no longer under the officer’s jurisdiction.)

 

How on earth is Governor Perdue going to say no to that? She should have recommended it herself.

 

Second, again according to the News and Observer, the probation board has ‘lost’ track of 14,000 criminals. (Worse, criminals on probation have killed 600 people.)

 

Senator Berger and Representative Skip Stam want the governor to immediately provide the public “with information about the ‘lost’ criminals by requiring the name, photograph and last known whereabouts of missing probationers be listed on the state website.”

 

It’s hard not to wonder why the governor didn’t already do that on her own too.

 

Finally, Berger and Stam want the governor to provide “weekly update briefings on progress – or lack of progress – in locating missing criminals.”

 

In other words they’re challenging Perdue to make her progress on solving the problem public – instead of keeping it under wraps. How on earth does Perdue say no to that?

 

The governor’s on vacation this week but when she gets back her next press conference might be interesting.

 

Question: Governor, do you support Senator Berger’s bill on warrantless searches of criminals on probation?

 

Question: Governor, will you post pictures of the ‘lost’ probationers on the state website?

 

Question: Governor, will you call a press conference next week to let us know how many lost probationers you’ve found?

 

My guess is Republicans just struck a real blow to help clean up the probation mess.

 

Avatar photo

Carter Wrenn

Categories

Archives