New SBI head sees challenges ahead

The newly appointed director of the State Bureau of Investigation was in New Bern on Thursday attending a two-day meeting of the Governor’s Crime Commission.

Greg McLeod took the reins of the bureau in August in the midst of an independent investigation of the SBI lab’s serology cases, which turned up questionable results and methods of the lab’s testing of blood serology from 1987 to 2003. DNA replaced serology testing.

McLeod said in an interview at the Riverfront Convention Center where the panel continues meeting Friday that he recognizes he has a challenge ahead of him.

“I want to be sure that there is a solution to the issues from the ’80s and ’90s. I want to be sure that the results are vetted and justice is done. We want to be sure to have the best crime lab there is and everyone in the criminal justice system has a vital role to play. We must have the information in an objective manner to make decisions in the criminal justice system,” McLeod said.

The state commission, chaired by Craven County District Attorney Scott Thomas, has 44 members, including heads of statewide criminal justice and human service agencies, representatives from the courts, law enforcement, local government, the General Assembly and private citizens.

The GCC sets program priorities and makes recommendations to the governor for the state’s criminal justice and juvenile justice federal block grants.

Thursday, Doug Yearwood of the Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification updated commission members on some legislative agenda items from 2001 to 2009 that have not been addressed.

There has been no increase in state funding for offender mental health substance abuse treatment services. No mandatory fingerprinting for misdemeanants has been established.  Ballistic fingerprinting of all confiscated handguns and a mobile ballistic fingerprint lab have not been established. No funding to fully staff and equip the SBI forensic lab and to process violent crime evidence more efficiently to reduce system delays has been implemented. No legislation has been enacted to make assault on a law enforcement officer a felony offense and there is no commission for studying the issues surrounding suspended and expelled secondary school students.

Former Gov. Jim Hunt established the commission in 1970. Gov. Bev Perdue makes appointments to the commission. She appointed Thomas as chair and Craven County Sheriff Jerry Monette as a member.

Francine Sawyer can be reached at 252-635-5671 or at fsawyer@freedomenc.com.