The Governor’s Crime Commission: History and Funding Trends
The mission ofthe North Carolina Governor’s Crime
Commission is to serve as the chief advisory body to
the governor and to the Secretary of the Department
of Public Safety on matters of crime and public
safety.
In 1965, Governor Dan K. Moore established the
Law and Order Committee to coordinate the efforts
between law enforcement agencies across the state.
Along with the increasing crime rate, the governor
charged the committee to address domestic terrorism,
such as the bombings of businesses and homes and
the intimidation of citizens by hate groups. In 1967,
the legislature made the committee a statutory body.
Members of the committee included representatives
from the Attorney General’s office, the State Bureau
of Investigation, the Department of Motor Vehicles,
the Department of Revenue and the Department of
Administration. The committee was later expanded
to include members of the N.C. Sheriff’s Association
and the N.C. Police Executives Association. Under
the Holshouser administration, the committee was
expanded to 28 members.1
In 1977, Governor James B. Hunt proposed to the
State Legislature that the Department of Crime
Control, Public Safety and Veterans be established
and that the Governor’s Commission on Law and
Order be transferred to that department and renamed
the Governor’s Crime Commission. He designated
that the commission serve as the lead agency to
establish a plan for fighting crime and to serve as
“the nerve center for planning our fight against
crime.”2 His proposals were passed and ratified into
law in February 1977. Since that time, the legislature
has increased the size of the commission to 44
members. It now includes members of the judiciary,
law enforcement, citizens, criminal justice program
coordinators and elected officials from across the
state, ranging from the governor, state senators and
representatives to county commissioners. The broad
range of commissioners ensures the representation of
each facet of the community in establishing funding
priorities and in the selection and awarding of grant
funds. While the commission was included in the
consolidation of the Department of Crime Control
and Public Safety, the Department of Correction and
the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention into the Department of Public Safety, the
goal of the commission remains the same, to serve as
an advisory body to the governor and the Secretary of
the Department of Public Safety on matters of crime
and public safety.
The GCC performs three primary functions. This
agency acts as the single state criminal justice
planning agency for developing, coordinating and
implementing comprehensive statewide criminal
and juvenile justice system improvement plans.
The GCC’s research and evaluation section, the
Criminal Justice Analysis Center, is responsible for
conducting, overseeing, and disseminating the results
of original research studies, program evaluations and
policy analyses. Finally, the GCC serves as the State
Administering Agency for all federal block grant and
other criminal justice funds which are awarded to
the state by the U.S. Department of Justice. These
funds currently include the Edward Byrne Memorial
Fund, the Victims of Crime Act, the Violence Against
Women Act, Juvenile Justice Assistance Block Grants
and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act.
The commission is divided into three committees
which focus on different aspects of crime. Each year,
the Criminal Justice Improvement Committee, the
Crime Victims’ Services Committee and the Juvenile
Justice Planning Committee define their priorities
for the upcoming grant cycle. Agencies, non-profit
organizations and governmental units applying for
grant funding are required to focus on the priorities
established by each committee.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
