Conference draws police to city from across state

A Biennial Conference update from President Terry Mangum

Brothers and Sisters,

I send you greetings from the North Carolina State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police. As you know, we held our Fall Board of Directors meeting and State Biennial Conference in Rocky Mount on September 21 st - 26th. Rocky Mount Lodge 46 did an outstanding job and the members are to be commended for their efforts in providing the attendees with an exceptional Board Meeting and State Conference. And a very special thank you is sent to Greg Brown, Bill Davis, Ricky Parks, and Mark Rosenfield for making this such a special time for all in attendance.

Perdue commends the FOP for their leadership

Rocky Mount (Telegram)

Gov. Bev Perdue was in Rocky Mount on Friday morning as part of the opening ceremony for the N.C. Fraternal Order of Police state conference being held at the Gateway Convention Center.

“I am just here to say ‘thank you’ to all the men and women in blue or gray or green or yellow, whatever it is that you wear,” Perdue said. “I thank you for giving your life and your family’s lives to the people of North Carolina. On behalf of the nearly nine-and-a-half million people who call North Carolina home, I say ‘thank you.’”

Perdue said many of the developments within the criminal justice system in the last two years could not have been accomplished without the support of the FOP. She said one key area she worked on was the probation and parole system.

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Justice for slaying involves more than verdict

Rocky Mount (Telegram)

The tragic death of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson reached some small closure this week.

Demario Atwater, 24, was sentenced this week to life in prison plus 10 years for his part in the kidnapping, carjacking and murder of Carson in March 2008.

“I’m sorry for everything that’s happened,” Atwater told Carson’s parents, who sat in the front row of the courtroom.

There still is no closure for the travesty of justice that allowed Atwater the free reign to commit the crime in the first place, however.

The Carson case showed just how badly the state’s probation and parole system is run.

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