Governor Josh Stein Hosts Roundtable Discussion on the Need to Support Law Enforcement, Invest in Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Today Governor Josh Stein and Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough hosted a law enforcement roundtable in Winston-Salem to highlight the need for a comprehensive public safety package that not only ensures adequate responses to crime but also focuses on preventing crime from occurring in the first place.

Governor Stein spoke with a number of law enforcement leaders. They included the Forsyth and Guilford county sheriffs and the chiefs of police of Winston-Salem State University, Greensboro, Kernersville, and High Point, as well as the Guilford County District Attorney, the NC Secretary of the Department of Public Safety, and the Unit Director for the Winston-Salem Behavioral Evaluation and Response Team.  

“It will take all of us to make our communities safer – from local law enforcement to our mental health care professionals,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I will continue to work to ensure that law enforcement has the support they need to recruit and retain the best and that we’re being smart in fighting crime.”

“Having served in law enforcement for more than 30 years, I know the value of sharing information with different departments across the state,” said North Carolina Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe. “The Department of Public Safety will continue to work with local law enforcement across the state to learn best practices and ensure that we are working together to make sure every North Carolinian is safe in their community.”  

“Every day, deputies from my office are in the community, committed to keeping their neighbors safe. I was glad to host the Governor and other members of the criminal justice system to share challenges and opportunities to better work together, and I appreciate the Governor’s continued advocacy for addressing law enforcement vacancies,” said Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough.  

In September, Governor Josh Stein signed House Bill 307 into law in response to public safety challenges facing North Carolina. The Governor continues to push the General Assembly to pass a comprehensive public safety package that will make real investments into law enforcement recruitment and retention, violence prevention measures, and increased coordination between law enforcement and mental health professionals.  

Yesterday, Governor Stein convened the first meeting of the Gang Violence and Intervention Task Force, charging the group with identifying solutions to address root causes of violence, including gang violence. Last week, Governor Stein toured and held a press conference at Integrated Family Services in Greenville, NC, underscoring the need to make improvements to the mental health crisis response system and the ways the mental health and criminal justice systems can interact to help patients and the general public.