Josh Stein has been North Carolina’s chief law enforcement officer over the last eight years as our state Attorney General. During that time, crime has increased dramatically.
Dan Bishop has been emphasizing this issue recently as he runs for the Attorney General position to be vacated by Stein.
The problem is so bad that the NC Police Benevolent Association’s president was highlighted in one of the articles linked above:
Rose told Bishop that the NCPBA and its 17,000 members across the state have endorsed him.
He said for the past 20 years, the cops have not had an engagement with the chief law enforcement official of the state of North Carolina (Cooper and Stein), calling it “bizarre and sad,” and that it has all been done by design.
“If you go back three years ago with the governor and the current attorney general, they put together the task force on race and equity,” Rose said. “Thirty-five people on this “blue-ribbon commission.” We asked for a seat so at least one cop could be on that commission and tell them how life really is. There was a sheriff or two there, but not a rank-and-file cop or anybody that could come and tell them what’s really going on today on the street. That was intentional.”
He said at the end of 2020, after the George Floyd protests, 12-14-year veterans were leaving the profession en masse despite getting close to receiving a pension.
“I’ll tell you why,” Rose stated. “For the first time in their careers, they were getting bludgeoned in the media.” There were also people protesting at their homes.
He added that many agencies in the state have a vacancy rate of 30-40%.
Rose ended with this point.
“We’ve had the current attorney general (Stein) for eight years,” he said. “You have to ask yourself why not a single law enforcement organization is going to support him in his next endeavor.”
It is good that Bishop is highlighting these issues; and I hope he gets the word out widely.
However, if he wants to win, Mark Robinson also needs to dramatize these points. Stein cannot be rewarded with the governor’s office after having failed at his most fundamental responsibilities in his current position.