North Carolina

Traffic crashes could soon be investigated by civilians in North Carolina

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

Traffic crashes could soon be investigated by civilians in North Carolina

The next time you’re involved in a fender bender, the person who shows up to investigate may not be a police officer. A proposal that’s close to becoming law would allow cities across North Carolina to hire and train civilians to handle minor traffic accidents that don’t involve an injury.

House Bill 140 passed the state Senate Thursday with unanimous support, and could be headed to the governor’s desk next week after one final vote in the state House.

State Sen. Michael Lazzara R-Onslow, said it would help cities struggling with staffing shortages in their police departments. He said Fayetteville and Wilmington have used civilian traffic investigators for years without a problem, so they decided to expand that authority statewide.

“This is just a way that we can help cities and towns fill the gap and have availability for officers to respond to actual emergency calls, rather than take their time to be at a traffic accident that can normally take several hours to complete,” Lazzara told WRAL News.

The bill would require investigators to go through a training program designed by the North Carolina Justice Academy, followed by at least four weeks out in the field with a police officer. They would wear a different uniform and would not carry a sidearm. Their vehicle lights wouldn’t be blue.

Civilian investigators also wouldn’t have the authority to write a citation or arrest anyone. An earlier version would have given them the authority to ticket a driver, but that was removed in the Senate, Lazzara said.

“They basically do the investigation, they file the reports, and they also have the ability to appear in court,” Lazzara said. “If there’s an issue involving criminal activity, they just call for an officer and an officer will come and do their job.”

The North Carolina Association of Police Chiefs supports the bill.

“It will take a tremendous workload off of our police officers,” the group’s president, Hendersonville Police Chief Blair Myhand, told WRAL News.

Myhand estimates it will save his small department about 1,000 officer-hours a year. It responds to about 1,600 traffic calls a year, he said.

“Probably 50% of those crashes in our case are, you know, what we kind of call in layman’s terms ‘parking lot crashes’ – they’re minor 1050s where no one’s injured. And so, this is going to be a tremendous saving,” Myhand said. “It’s a lot of man hours that are involved or that will be saved, to allow police officers to get back into investigating crimes and responding to calls for service.”

He also said he agrees with the decision to limit the investigators’ authority.

“In my case, I’d like to use this as an apprenticeship program for recent high-school graduates. Another community might want to use retirees to do this job. So I think putting them into that confrontational situation – to actually determine fault and write someone a citation – is probably not in the best interest,” Myhand said.

The bill appears to have no organized opposition. It’s also supported by the North Carolina League of Municipalities.

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North Carolina

Tropical Storm Helene destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in NC, FEMA maps show

Published

45 minutes ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Tropical Storm Helene destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in NC, FEMA maps show

Tropical Storm Helene destroyed nearly 1,000 homes when it tore through Western North Carolina Sept. 27, maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency show.

The maps, which show verified damage to homes as of Jan. 7, were presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners at its Jan. 16 budget retreat.

In Buncombe County, Helene destroyed 340 homes, according to the maps. More than 170 were owner-occupied, while the remaining were rental properties.

The maps also show how many homes across the state sustained major damage and how many require repairs so residents can move back in.

According to the maps, 2,360 homes suffered major damage. Nearly one-third were rentals. Additionally, nearly 30,000 homes require habitability repairs, according to the maps. More than 6,000 of those homes were occupied by renters.

The number of damaged homes verified by FEMA is significantly lower than initial estimates from the state. According to a Dec. 13 damage needs assessment compiled by the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management, more than 73,000 homes were projected to be damaged, the majority of which were expected to be single-family and manufactured homes, and duplexes. In total, the state is estimating nearly $13 billion in residential damage alone.

The Citizen Times requested updated damage maps from FEMA on Jan. 17.

How did homes in Buncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Madison and Yancey counties fare?

Destroyed homes:

Buncombe: 340

Henderson: 89

McDowell: 92

Yancey: 100

Madison:11+

Major damage:

Buncombe: 640

Henderson: 354

McDowell: 128

Yancey: 166

Madison: 56

Homes requiring habitability repairs:

Buncombe: 8,920

Henderson: 3,988

McDowell: 1,442

Yancey: 1,767

Madison: 302

Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.

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North Carolina

Vote: Who Should Be the North Carolina Boys High School Basketball Player of the Week? (1/20/2025)

Published

8 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Vote: Who Should Be the North Carolina Boys High School Basketball Player of the Week? (1/20/2025)

Who was the North Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Week last week?

Each week, High School On SI scours the state of North Carolina and compiles the top performances from the previous week.

Congratulations to last week’s winner: Jalin Sutton of Greene Central.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

The 6-foot-5 junior guard scored 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 4 shots in the Sabres’ 71-63 win over Myers Park. Houpt also had 15 points in a 65-56 win over White Oak.

Kerr, a top 100 national recruit, scored 24 points as the Cougars toppled nationally ranked and previously undefeated Christ School 73-66. The 6-foot-4 junior guard has 10 college offers.

Charles scored 27 points and got 8 rebounds in a 56-42 win over Southside. The 6-foot-4 senior also had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in an 84-38 rout of Pamlico County.

Blow scored 17 points and got 6 rebounds in a 67-59 victory over Ayden-Grifton.

Barron scored 19 points while getting 7 steals and 5 assists in a 77-57 victory over Northwest Halifax.

Edwards posted 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in an 89-39 romp over Wayne Christian. He also had 17 points in an 84-57 win over First Flight.

Brewer dominated with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in a 66-48 win over Pisgah.

Parkins erupted for 39 points, tying a career high, in a 90-66 win over Asheville. The 6-foot-7 senior also had 17 rebounds. He had 27 points and 13 rebounds in an 81-65 win over Erwin.

Brown scored 30 points and had 5 rebounds in an 84-80 overtime win over Tuscola. In addition, he had 21 points in a 59-45 loss to East Henderson.

Fannon scored 31 points, including 9-of-14 from 3-point range, as the Mustangs beat St. Stephens 93-70.

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North Carolina

North Carolina Democratic state lawmaker resigns after terminal cancer diagnosis

Published

16 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

North Carolina Democratic state lawmaker resigns after terminal cancer diagnosis

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A longtime Wake County Democratic state representative announced his resignation from the North Carolina General Assembly on Sunday.

Rep. Joe John, who represented northwestern Wake County, shared news of his resignation in a letter posted to his Facebook page, after he said he received a terminal diagnosis for throat cancer from his doctors. John, 85, first stated publicly that he was diagnosed with throat cancer in early December.

“I hope my legacy will be one of dedication to the common good — working to build bridges, advocate for the voiceless, and fight for justice,” he said.

John was first elected as a state representative in 2016 and served four consecutive terms. His upcoming term would have been his fifth. Before serving in the legislature, John spent a large portion of his life in the judicial field — as a state appeals judge, superior court judge and district judge. He also served as the State of North Carolina Crime Laboratory’s director.

The Wake County Democratic Party will be in charge of choosing someone to fill John’s vacant seat.

John said in his letter that he plans to focus on his health and spend time with his family after resigning.

“If my time in office has made even a small difference in your lives, then I will leave this world knowing I’ve done my part,” John said.

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