DPS Safety Scoop

North Carolina's Department of Public Safety is charged with keeping the public safe, while also protecting its employees and those in the department’s custody. This spring, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted prison officials to begin looking at ways within the Secretary’s authority to reduce the prison population. One of those ways involves transitioning select individuals to serve their remaining se...

This special edition of the DPS Safety Scoop was recorded on April 8, 2020. In this episode, Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee and Deputy Commissioner Brande Harris discuss how the Division of Prisons prepared DPS prison facilities to fight against the spread of COVID-19 and the mitigation actions taken by staff across the state. Working alongside the Governor's Coronavirus Task Force, more than...

March is Women's History Month, and DPS is celebrating the women who uphold the department's mission across North Carolina. In this episode, we speak with Alcohol Law Enforcement Assistant Director for Administration Angela Hayes, who is the first female to serve as part of ALE’s leadership team. Hayes shares how she became interested in a role in ALE and more about her experience as a woman in la...

March is Women's History Month, and DPS is celebrating the women who uphold the department's mission across North Carolina. In this episode, we are speaking with the first female to achieve the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the NC State Highway Patrol. Twenty-two years after starting her career as a trooper and forty years after the first female trooper joined the patrol, Lt. Col. Donna Carter sha...

Your vote matters! Hear what North Carolina officials are doing to protect the integrity of our elections and, and what you need to do to make your vote count.  North Carolina State Board of Election's Patrick-Gannon, NC National Guard CIO Lt. Col. Robert Felicio and NC Emergency Management Chief of Staff discuss how local, state and federal officials are collaborating to secure our elections...

Listen to three NCDPS leaders talk about who inspired them and the heritage that shaped them as they reflect on their heritage as African Americans.  Hear Chief Deputy Secretary Cassandra Hoekstra, Colonel Glenn McNeill and Maxine Evans-Armwood share personal stories about the role models who guided them and what they hope their legacy will be.

In June 2019, Todd Ishee was appointed Commissioner of Prisons by NCDPS Secretary Erik A. Hooks. With 30 years of correctional experience, Commissioner Ishee made it a priority to acquaint himself with all operating facilities across the state, as well as the staff. This episode not only introduces the commissioner, but also dives into the state of NC prisons and ongoing prison reform efforts.&nbs...

North Carolina is subject to numerous hazards, whether they are natural or man made. Hazard mitigation is meant to lessen the severity of the impacts experienced by individuals during events such as hurricanes, fires, floods, cyber attacks, chemical spills or others. Steve McGugan, NCEM Assistant Director, and Jason Pleasant, Hazard Mitigation Development Manager, review how past disasters have le...

It's the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, and North Carolina ranks in the top 10 states for reports of this illegal activity. Listen to see what the Tar Heel state is doing to prevent human trafficking and what we all can do to help the thousands of women, children and men who are sold each year. In this episode, we are joined by NCDPS Chief Deputy Secretary Pam Cashwell, NCSH...

Between ongoing prison reform efforts, implementing "Raise the Age" legislation, responding to and recovering from hurricanes and adding two new divisions, 2019 has been an extremely busy year for NCDPS. What's being done to improve safety in our prisons and how is the state helping hurricane victims recover?

On December 1, 2019, North Carolina became the last state to "Raise the Age" ensuring that most non-violent criminal charges of children and teens will be heard in the juvenile system, not in the adult criminal system.  How will this legislation make a difference for children and what are the impacts and costs to others? In this episode, we sit down with DPS Deputy Secretary William Lassiter...

Why a public safety podcast? Listen and find out.