Press Releases

The Department of Public Safety today announced additional action steps taken to improve prison safety. The prison reform measures involve security policies and practices, training and hiring.

Much of North Carolina is feeling the effects of the latest winter storm, and North Carolinians should follow forecasts closely as snowfall spreads across the state, Governor Roy Cooper cautioned today. "Be prepared for heavy snow at times and stay off the roads if you can when conditions get bad in your area," Gov. Cooper said. "Even though the forecast tells us this storm will be short-lived, driving could remain hazardous tonight and tomorrow morning, especially on bridges and overpasses."

Governor Cooper is urging North Carolinians to pay close attention to the weather forecast today and tomorrow as low temperatures and the potential for a wintry mix of precipitation impact the state. “We don’t expect tremendous impacts from this latest cold front for most of our state but we also don’t want North Carolinians to be caught off guard," Gov. Cooper said. “Given the cold, wet and messy forecast, we want everyone to watch the weather closely and heed the directions of local officials.”

State leaders are urging local law enforcement and school districts to work closely together to ensure that all North Carolina schools are safe and offered state tools and resources to help. The Governor’s Crime Commission and the State Emergency Response Commission will apply their expertise to prioritize school safety, Public Safety Secretary Erik A. Hooks announced today.

Governor Roy Cooper has declared March 4 – 10 Severe Weather Preparedness Week and urges North Carolinians to prepare and practice safety plans in case severe weather strikes. North Carolina is traditionally an active tornado and severe thunderstorm state and spring is peak season, although severe weather can occur at any time of year.

What:  Governor's Crime Commission Quarterly Meeting When: Thursday, March 8, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

RALEIGH - The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Craven Correctional Institution Administrator Larry Dail as the new Eastern Region director for Prisons. Dail, 64, who has spent 35 years with the state in Prisons, replaces Annie Harvey, who was promoted to the deputy director of Prisons on July 31, 2017. The Eastern Region consists of 12 prisons.

The quick actions on the part of a North Carolina State Highway Patrolman and an associate dean at Campbell University are being hailed today for helping to save a man that had been involved in a collision . Trooper D. L. Braswell was off duty and taking his daughter to school when he encountered a vehicle off of the roadway and partially submerged in water on the shoulder of US 301 near Benson, NC. A second person, Dr. Scott Asbill, also seeing the vehicle in the water stopped to provide assistance.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Guard today hosted a one-day career event at Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh. The job fair was open to all military service members, veterans, spouses and dependents of service members interested in networking or looking for career opportunities throughout the Department of Public Safety.

MEDIA ADVISORY What: Statewide Tornado Drill as part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week             Root Elementary School in Raleigh will host reporters covering the tornado drill Nick Petro, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh, will be on hand for interviews, and to make a presentation to fifth grade students who are studying weather. Selected students and school  staff will also be available for interviews.