Of crime labs and politics
In the world of politics, no good deed goes unpunished nor positive story go without pushback by one's opponent.
Every month I get an e-mail with the agenda for the N.C. Council of State, basically the governor and nine other statewide officers. The group is a vestige of the days when we didn't trust royal/executive authority as far as we could throw the nearest chief executive.
One of the typical things the council does at its monthly meetings is approve a whole bunch of property transactions, sales, purchases and lease arrangements for state facilities.
On tomorrow's next week's agenda is this item, approving the lease for a new Piedmont Triad Crime Lab that will be located in Greensboro.
Funding for the lab was a pretty high priority for Guilford County's legislative delegation and they had hopped all along that it would be located in Greensboro.
So, seeing that the lab was due to be put in Greensboro I phone up the Justice Department to see who might want to chat about it. Attorney General Roy Cooper happened to be the one to call back.
The story is at this link. It's a short talker on the lab, what it'll do, etc...
Cooper, a Democrat, is a member of the Council of State and has said he will stand for re-election next year, which is where the politics comes in.
Greensboro lawyer Bob Crumley, a Republican and the smiling face on the back of local phone books, is running against Cooper. (Background here.)
Well, being a good candidate, Crumley can't let positive spin for his opponent go answered so he sent out a release today. It begins:
Greensboro, September 24, 2007 - For seven years, Roy Cooper has allowed crimes to go unsolved in this state. With the recent announcement that the State Bureau of Investigation will open a new crime lab in the Triad, Cooper is finally admitting what North Carolina law enforcement has known . the SBI crime lab's inability to process key evidence in criminal cases has not been a priority for his office.
I'll post the full release after the jump.
Kind of makes you wonder, though, what Crumley would say about the expansion of the state's crime lab here in Raleigh.
At least we should have a pretty active campaign for AG next year. Now the jump.
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Here's the full release from Crumley:
- Press release from Bob Crumley, candidate for NC Attorney General.
After seven years, criminals are still on the streets thanks to Cooper's inaction.
Greensboro, September 24, 2007 - For seven years, Roy Cooper has allowed crimes to go unsolved in this state. With the recent announcement that the State Bureau of Investigation will open a new crime lab in the Triad, Cooper is finally admitting what North Carolina law enforcement has known . the SBI crime lab's inability to process key evidence in criminal cases has not been a priority for his office.
Facing an experienced attorney who began his campaign for Attorney General nearly two years ago, Cooper is now trying to convince North Carolinians that he can fix this nearly decade-long problem. Cooper stated, "If we can get quicker access to evidence, they can solve crime more quickly and get criminals off the streets" (James Romoser, Winston-Salem Journal, 9/23/07). Unfortunately for the citizens of our state, Cooper has been asleep for seven years. By his own statement, Cooper recognizes that criminals will be off the streets if evidence is processed quicker.so why has it taken Cooper seven years to act?
With Cooper's announcement, we are left with one question - why did it take more than seven years for him to recognize that the SBI crime lab could not process evidence in a timely manner?
North Carolinians deserve an Attorney General whose priority is to keep our families, homes and communities safe, not just another politician who's sudden concern about a problem just lasts long enough for a press conference.
Roy Cooper is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of voters. As Attorney General, I pledge to the people that I will not wait seven years, seven months or even seven days to address this problem. Making sure evidence is processed in a timely manner will be my top priority. If I can't, I will not ask voters to keep me as the chief law enforcement officer of this state.
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Leslie Brooks at 336 889-2899 or Leslie@BuzztoBusiness.com.
About Bob Crumley:
Bob Crumley is a Republican candidate for NC Attorney General. He has an extensive background as a leader in business, law and his community. He has served as a county manager and county attorney and co-chaired a statewide commission. His companies provide jobs to people across our state. Bob has the commitment, the ability to lead and the skills needed for this important statewide office. Bob has earned the active support of the three Republicans already serving on the Council of State - Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry, Auditor Les Merritt, and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. Visit the campaign website: www.BobCrumley.com.
Comments (1)
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Thank God for exposing Cooper for what he is, a spineless politician who is just trying to get his name in the papers and throw some money into the triad before an election.
Bob, you've got my vote.
Posted on September 24, 2007 11:31 PM