Sheriffs meet at Wrightsville Beach

North Carolina’s top cop was in Wrightsville Beach today. Attorney General Roy Cooper met with sheriffs from across the state.

The North Carolina Sheriff’s Association gathered in Wrightsville Beach to talk about statewide trends in crime and crime prevention.

“We see a lot of the same people coming back in to our jail, and even when they get sent to prison, they come back in to the community, and what have they learned to change,” said Ed McMahon of the NHC Sheriff’s Office.

But re-habilitating convicted criminals is not an easy fix, especially now with the economy forcing departments to cut back.

The tightening of the belts makes a tough job even harder for the badges.

“Many if not all of the sheriff’s offices are looking at either maintaining the level of funding they had last year or decreasing from what they had last year,” said Pender County Sheriff Carson Smith.

With the idea that a pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure, Cooper said in the next few weeks, he’ll announce a statewide co-coordinated effort to prevent crimes before they occur.

Other community outreach programs include a Badges for Baseball initiative, a successful program in mid-Atlantic states that builds self esteem and relationships between kids and officers.

Mr. Cooper also stressed the need for new technology to help officers solve crimes. He’s calling for legislative funding for updated DNA labs and finger printing programs.