North Carolina should fix its broken probation system with expanded authority to search criminals without a warrant, better pay incentives for probation officers and lighter caseloads, Gov. Beverly Perdue said Friday.

Watch: NBC17's report on the story by clicking on the video above.

The governor hopes the lighter caseloads will give probation officers a reasonable chance of managing the 112,000 people convicted of crimes but not sent to prison.

"My priority as the new governor of North Carolina has to be the safety of the general public," Perdue said during a news conference in Asheville. "If I want to go to the ATM at 2 a.m. as a woman, I should to be able to go without worrying about being beaten up or killed."

Problems with probation oversight were highlighted last year after two men were charged in the slaying of University of North Carolina student body president Eve Carson, who was forced to make withdrawals from several ATMs before her death. The two men had received little attention from probation officers.

News reports in the wake of that case detailed long-standing problems in the Division of Community Corrections, including heavy caseloads, low pay, high turnover and an outdated court data system. A report by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Corrections found failings by line officers and "ineffective management oversight at each level in the DCC."

Demotions, reassignments, firings or early retirements followed. Perdue said she would ask the General Assembly to spend more than $25 million extra over the next two years and make other legal changes to:

- hire 117 probation and parole officers and 29 more supervisors;
- increase the pay of 1,048 probation and parole officers to help raise recruitment and retention;
- use federal stimulus funds to buy updated radios that allow parole and probation officers to communicate readily with other law enforcement officers;
- make juvenile records of offenders accessible to officers;
- make warrantless searches of probationers and their property a condition of every court order imposing probation as a sentence;
- continue to recruit probation and parole officers until every one of the approximately 120 vacant jobs is filled.

Durham County Commissioner Ellen Reckhow said she supports Perdue’s reform efforts. She said she believes it will help keep track of Durham County’s 4,000 people on probation.

"What is frightening is that 800 of those 4,000 are absconders, that means that they haven't seen a probation officer in a long time,” Reckhow said

Perdue's office said legislation to enact the reforms would be sponsored by legislative power broker Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland.

A first step will be putting the names, photos and crimes of the more than 13,000 offenders who have disappeared from parole supervisors on the Internet to generate tips. The Correction Department launched a page on its Web site describing probationers who did not report to probation officers. Perdue said the page launched Friday.

Republican legislative leaders, including House Minority Leader Paul Stam, last month urged Perdue to launch the site and to make warrantless searches a condition of probation.

"I'm very pleased," Stam, R-Wake, said after reading Perdue's proposals. "I think this will improve public safety. There is nothing in there that I have any problem with. I think it's a very positive step."

Probation is a sentence that a judge can impose instead of or in addition to prison time. Probationers must agree to conditions such as paying child support and court costs, not possessing weapons and to "submit at reasonable times to warrantless searches" by a probation officer. Parole violations can result in prison time.

Perdue was asked how she would create prison space to handle an influx of probation violators at the same time that the recession-stricken state is forecasting the need to trim spending or raise revenues by $3.4 billion next year. She vowed to do whatever it takes to enforce probation conditions even if it meant crowding the prisons.

"We need to make offenders more responsible, especially for the bad decisions they make while on probation," Perdue said. "Prison space is not going to be a reason.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said money dedicated toward improving communication is vital.

"The better the supervision, the less likely these folks are gonna re-offend and wind up back in prison,” Willoughby said.

Willoughby said while millions for reform might sound a lot, consider the alternative.

"It's much cheaper than building prisons and staffing them,” Willoughby said.



A Breakdown of Perdue's Plan

Additional probation and parole officers to ensure effective case management: 117 additional probation and parole officers to reduce caseload and increase effective case management. The addition of officers is recommended by the National Institute of Corrections report.
2009-10: $5,986,277
2010-11: $7,990,156

Additional chief probation and parole officers to increase supervision and reduce caseload: 29 additional chief probation and parole officers to bring the officer/supervisor ratio to approximately 7:1, enabling the department to provide additional oversight, particularly of problem cases. The addition of officers supports recommendations found in the recent National Institute of Corrections report.
2009-10: $2,545,790
2010-11: $2,246,214

Raising pay grade for probation/parole officers: increase the pay grade for 1,048 probation and parole officers, to help raise recruitment and retention.
2009-10: $2,383,273
2010-11: $2,383,273

Additional and more efficient training: an additional four correctional training instructors and a correctional training coordinator to provide new officers with the necessary skills to begin supervising probation caseloads earlier in their employment. The addition of training officers is recommended by the National Institute of Corrections report.
2009-10: $239,525
2010-11: $380,270

VIPER Radios for improved communications: purchase of VIPER radios through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to enable increased communication with law enforcement.
2009-10: $1,264,689

Community corrections intake coordinators for urban areas: funding of new community corrections intake coordinator positions through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. These new intake workers will perform court duties in urban areas where court dockets currently require significant time commitments from probation and parole officers. These intake coordinators will allow probation and parole officers to spend more time monitoring offenders. The addition of community corrections intake coordinators was recommended by the National Institute of Corrections report.
2009-10: $1,235,311

Access to juvenile court records: open juvenile records to supervising probation officers.

Warrantless searches: Require all probationers to consent to warrantless searches by probation and law enforcement officers as a condition of their probation.

Absconder information posted on-line: A new web site, launched today, providing a county-by-county listing of absconders from probation and parole supervision. Updated daily, the web site will allow citizens to view absconders from their area and provide any information they may have on absconder whereabouts. The public can view this information online at http://www.doc.state.nc.us/.

Continuous job postings: continuous posting of probation and parole officer openings will help reduce the time it takes to fill vacancies in the state's probation offices.

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