By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
A multitude of county district attorneys from across the state gathered Thursday in Raleigh for a joint House meeting to press lawmakers on budget priorities, structural reforms, and law enforcement challenges. Leaders from the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol also testified, detailing staffing shortages, technology initiatives, and public safety concerns.
District attorneys told lawmakers that approximately $180 million is allocated to the DA budget and staffing statewide, with roughly 98% of that funding spent on personnel. They emphasized that DAs are distinct from judges and clerks, noting that unlike other judicial officials, prosecutors are direct parties to cases and bear responsibility for prosecutorial decisions and case management. Currently, district attorneys make up about 22% of the judicial branch.
Seth Banks, a Western North Carolina attorney who serves as president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and represents the 35th Prosecutorial District, argued that prosecutors should have greater authority over how legislative resources are used. He said DAs should be able to decide which resources are needed and be responsible for securing those items from the legislature, as well as determine which technologies are necessary to perform their duties and manage caseloads in their respective districts.
The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, created as a state agency in 1983, includes every district attorney in the state as a member.
Referencing a recent hearing involving Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer McFadden in Charlotte, prosecutors sought to clarify their intent regarding proposed changes to the judicial structure.
“We’re not seeking to move to the Executive Branch,” one reference to McFadden’s remarks noted, adding, “DA’s should determine how legislative resources provided for prosecution are implemented.”
Prosecutors are advocating for statutory changes that would shift certain administrative responsibilities from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) directly to district attorneys. Under the proposal, the AOC would no longer be responsible for overseeing the prosecutorial process, a move supporters argue would allow for faster decisions, more effective operations, and less red tape. In the proposed framework, the AOC would continue to control local dollars in each county. The AOC’s executive committee is currently made up of nine district attorneys and a director, and proponents said the restructuring would mirror models used in states such as Georgia and Tennessee.
Later in the meeting, the head of the State Bureau of Investigation, Roger "Chip" Hawley, reported that the agency has 280 sworn positions and 266 non-sworn positions, and over the past 13 months has cut response times in half. The SBI has revamped its human trafficking unit with the help of a grant from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and Safe Alliance, a Charlotte-based organization. The agency’s “Air Wing” doubled its air time in 2025 compared to 2024, assisting in searches for suspects and missing persons and in apprehending perpetrators.
The SBI also highlighted a push toward greater transparency and public engagement through social media. In 2024, the agency recorded fewer than 1 million views across its platforms; in 2025, that number climbed to 25 million. So far in 2026, it has already reached 10.5 million views and gained thousands of new followers.
Technology initiatives were also discussed, including a license plate reader pilot program implemented in Raleigh and Richmond County in July 2025. The program includes 111 license plate readers installed across Department of Transportation rights-of-way, with 29 agencies participating. Officials cited one success story in which a vehicle traveling from New Jersey was identified and intercepted within half an hour of crossing the state border, with large amounts of fentanyl found inside.
Law enforcement leaders also described a newly formed vape shop working group that includes at least seven agencies, among them the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of State’s Office, and drug enforcement authorities. The group held its first meeting on Feb. 11 and is examining the regulation of what officials estimate to be between 12,000 and 15,000 vape shops operating statewide.
Officials said they have also met with Florida authorities to collaborate on strategies to combat cryptocurrency scams that disproportionately target elderly residents nationwide.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol, however, painted a stark picture of staffing shortages tied to compensation. Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson Jr. told lawmakers that the agency is “bleeding troopers” because its starting and maximum salaries are not competitive with other agencies in the state. In the past six months alone, the number of vacant trooper positions has risen 37%.
Highway Patrol offers a starting salary of $55,000 for entry-level troopers, while at least 30 other law enforcement agencies offer more. The top salary of $80,000 also trails at least 30 other agencies, more than half of which offer $100,000 or more. The Patrol responded to more than 6,000 crashes during two snow storms in the past month and could have used additional personnel, according to Johnson.
The staffing challenges extended beyond public safety: a 700-page report from the State Auditor’s Office identified more than 4,500 jobs across state government that have gone unfilled for over a year, with low compensation cited as the most common reason. The vacancies span major agencies, including public safety, health care, transportation, and environmental oversight.
“Senate Republicans are committed to supporting law enforcement by increasing their salaries to ensure our agencies can recruit and retain highly qualified officers,” said Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate Leader Phil Berger.
