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New Dashboard Metric Shows How North Carolina Criminal Charges Get Disposed

We recently added 2022 and 2023 Automated Criminal Infractions System (ACIS) court records data to our Measuring Justice Dashboard. We also just released a new Dashboard metric showing how North Carolina criminal charges get disposed. At the Lab, we support evidence-based approaches to criminal justice that promote public safety, a fair and effective system, and … Read more

Book Review: An Inconvenient Cop

An Inconvenient Cop is a book authored by long-time NYPD officer and whistleblower Edwin Raymond along with professional writer Jon Sternfeld. Raymond served fifteen years in the New York Police Department. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, but his time with the NYPD was contentious. The book is a memoir that tells the story of Raymond’s career and offers his perspective on policing and police reform.

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News Roundup

Stops are down but traffic fatalities are up. According to this article from The New York Times, local law enforcement data collected from cities across the county reflects a decline in the number of traffic stops police are making since before the pandemic. Data from the 30 largest U.S. cities reveals a rise in road deaths over the same time span. The writers suggest that the correlation indicates police have responded to the pandemic and the recent police reform movement by declining to confront reckless drivers. Recent deaths on North Carolina roads reflect this trend. The Gaston Gazette reports that Herman “Dennis” Kiser, 68, was killed last Saturday when a tow truck attempted to pass his tractor on a rural road. Scottie Brooks, the driver of the tow truck, has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. The Charlotte Observer reports that a street race between teenage drivers on Sunday morning resulted in the death of Robert Birch, 81, who was making a U-turn. Both teenagers have been charged as adults with felony hit-and-run, street racing, and no operator’s license. Read on for more criminal law news.

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New Law Regarding Pornography on Government Networks and Devices

North Carolina will soon have a new law, effective October 1, 2024, that prohibits local governments, state agencies, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch from allowing pornography to be viewed on their networks or devices. The law, found at Section 7 of S.L. 2024-26, establishes a deadline for government employees and officials to delete any pornography from their government devices, creates reporting requirements for unauthorized viewing or attempted viewing of pornography, and requires public agencies (including units of local government and public school units) and the judicial and legislative branches to adopt policies governing the use of their networks and devices. It also contains some important exceptions for employees and officials who might need to view pornography (as that term is defined by this new law) as part of their official duties.

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News Roundup

 The lead criminal law story this week relates to the Illinois deputy charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey in her Springfield, Illinois home on July 6. After the 36-year-old woman called 911 to report a suspicious person nearby, local deputies responded. Once deputies were inside the home, Massey reportedly acted strangely and seemed confused. At one point, she moved a pot of boiling water from the stove to the sink, prompting the officers to back away from her. Massey asked the officers where they were going, and one stated that they were moving away from the water. Massey replied with a religious rebuke. Deputy Grayson responded to this by drawing his pistol, pointing it at her, and threatening to shoot her. The woman apologized, put her hands up, and ducked, but Grayson quickly fired his weapon multiple times, hitting Massey in the head and killing her. When another deputy suggested getting a medical kit to help, Grayson advised that medical assistance was futile. The full incident was captured on body camera. Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder (and other charges) and was fired from the department. Another story reports that Grayson worked for six different law enforcement agencies over the last four years. Read on for more criminal law news.

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Welcome, Belal Elrahal!

I am pleased to announce that Belal Elrahal joined our faculty earlier this month. Belal is working in the field of criminal law and procedure and will specialize in impaired driving and motor vehicle law. Belal joins our colleague Melanie Crenshaw as co-faculty lead for the School of Government’s work with the state’s nearly 700 … Read more

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Change to the Law of Juvenile Jurisdiction and Juvenile Transfer to Superior Court

Session Law 2024-17 enacts changes to the law regarding the scope of original juvenile jurisdiction beginning with offenses committed on or after December 1, 2024. Law changes regarding the existing process to transfer a case from juvenile to superior court will also take effect at that time. Read on for a description of the changes.

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Confidential Informants, Motions to Reveal Identity, and Discovery: Part IV, How Federal and State Courts are Handling CI Video and Audio Recordings

Special thanks to Sheridan King, Summer Law Fellow at UNC SOG, for her significant contributions to the research and development of this post.

The previous post of this multi-part series on confidential informants (“CI’s”) delved into possible approaches to handling video and audio recordings of confidential informant activity (Parts I and II can be found here and here). CI activity is often recorded during the “main event” (the incident for which the defendant is indicted) and during “lead-up buys” (controlled purchases that create probable cause to search a location). Though trial courts throughout North Carolina regularly determine when CI recordings must be turned over to the defense, there is a scarcity of North Carolina appellate law on the subject. Thus, this post will look to other jurisdictions, including federal district courts and other states, to survey how judges are reckoning with these emerging issues pertaining to discovery, the defendant’s constitutional right to a fair trial, and the State’s interest in protecting the identity of informants.

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News Roundup

The biggest news story of the week is a gunman’s attempt to assassinate former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired eight rounds from a semiautomatic AR-style rifle in Trump’s direction. Trump was struck in the ear, rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, and two other men were critically wounded in the attack. The New York Times analyzed video, audio, and photographs of the event and created this narrative video timeline. The Times video ends with this question: Why was the former president allowed to remain on stage when the threat emerged minutes before shots rang out?

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