Governor Stein Calls for Investments in Law Enforcement at NC Sheriffs’ Association Spring Meeting

Today Governor Josh Stein joined the NC Sheriffs’ Association Spring Conference to outline his priorities for investing in North Carolina law enforcement and to call on the General Assembly to pass a comprehensive state budget that keeps North Carolinians safe.

“Keeping people safe is job #1. That’s why we need more well-trained officers on the beat and more behavioral health options for people who need urgent care,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am calling on the legislature to fund a real pay raise for all state law enforcement officers, bonuses for new BLET graduates and out-of-state transfers, and other resources that support law enforcement so we can recruit and retain the best.”  

Last week, Governor Stein announced his recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 to keep North Carolina strong that includes more than $970 million in targeted investments to support law enforcement, address root causes of crime, and keep people healthy. To keep North Carolinians safe, Governor Stein’s budget provides all state law enforcement, correctional officers, nurses, and health technicians with a 5% pay raise – on top of the 10% raise recommended in the Governor’s Critical Needs Budget – and awards bonuses to Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) graduates and out-of-state transfers.

To address State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) workforce shortages and a 21% caseload increase, the Governor’s budget proposes fully funding the Bureau and creating an SBI cold case unit to ensure it has the necessary staffing to bring more criminals to justice. In addition, the budget proposes creating a Fentanyl Control Unit to prosecute drug traffickers, stabilizing VIPER network funding to help first responders communicate during disasters, creating a real-time threat alerting platform, and providing state law enforcement officers with body cameras to promote public trust.

Governor Stein is committed to continuing to combat the opioid epidemic. The North Carolina Department of Justice, led by then-Attorney General Josh Stein, led the national effort to secure more than $55 billion from the opioid drug manufacturers, distributers, and pharmacies. North Carolina has won acclaim as a national example for transparency and accountability in our usage of those opioid settlement funds. North Carolina has seen a sharp, 34% decline in overdose and poisoning deaths – the first decline since 2019. Governor Stein’s recommended budget proposes expanding the use of medication to treat opioid use disorder in correctional institutions and creating a Fentanyl Control Unit to stop the flow of these deadly drugs into North Carolina.