DPS Safety Scoop

Hurricane season is here and now is the time to make sure you are prepared in case North Carolina experiences impacts from one of these powerful storms. Many NC residents and visitors have seen the power and destruction of hurricanes firsthand and have experienced the hazards associated with them. NC Emergency Management meteorologists Kevin Kalbaugh and Laura Silver join us to talk through the natural hazards associated with hurricanes and how to be weather ready before, during and after a storm. NCEM Human Services Branch Manager Sandi Bridgers joins Safety Scoop for the first time to dive into what families can do to make sure they are prepared before a storm and how to build an emergency preparedness plan that fits your family's needs.

Severe Weather Preparedness Week is an annual safety informational campaign that takes place around the change of the seasons in March. The purpose is to educate North Carolinians on the impacts and safety concerns aligned with severe weather that typically happens in the springtime: Thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes and flooding. NC Emergency Management meteorologists Kevin Kalbaugh and Laura Silver share their knowledge of severe weather and the safest way to react if severe weather is happening around you, no matter where you are.

DPS is hiring! Learn about the diverse professions and abundant career opportunities found within the Department of Public Safety. DPS recruiters Kevin Whitaker, Stephanie Bridgers, Joy Brown and Melissa Thames discuss benefits, tips for filling out applications, internships, opportunities for veterans and more.

NC Emergency Management meteorologists Kevin Kalbaugh and Diana Thomas and NC State Highway Patrol Sergeant Marcus Bethea discuss how North Carolinians can prepare for winter weather in their homes and vehicles. Knowing what to do before severe weather hits is an important part of being weather ready, especially in the winter time.

Hear what North Carolina's prisons have been doing in 2020 to protect staff and offenders during the pandemic. And find out how the state plans to enhance safety, upgrade technology and improve offender rehabilitation in the coming months and years.

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 sentence under supervision through the Extended Limits of Confinement initiative. Find out who is eligible, how many have been selected and what else NCDPS is doing to keep our communities safe.

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 three dozen different measures have been taken to protect correctional staff and offenders from COVID-19.

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 law enforcement.

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 shares her insight on what it's like to be a woman in law enforcement and how the NCSHP has evolved over her tenure.

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.

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 led to current hazard mitigation efforts by the state and how North Carolina is continue to improve these mitigation efforts through grant funding. If you're curious about the disaster recovery process, especially when it comes to hurricane recovery, you'll want to give this episode a listen.

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, NCSHP Trooper D. A. Cuff and SBI Special Agent in Charge Carl Wall.

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 to discuss how Raise the Age will be rolled out across the state, as well as the anticipated benefits and costs.

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