Judge: Spring Lake Police Can't Handle Homicides

Spring Lake, N.C. — A Cumberland County judge has short-circuited attempts by Spring Lake officials to have local police investigate murders in the town.

Chief District Judge Beth Keever issued a memo Monday to Cumberland County magistrates, saying Spring Lake officers "are not authorized to request the issuance of felony homicide warrants." Keever said the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is in charge of all homicide investigations in Spring Lake.

Two weeks ago, District Attorney Ed Grannis asked the sheriff's office to assume control of all felony investigations in Spring Lake by Oct. 1. He maintained that the Spring Lake Police Department lacked the manpower and the training to investigate such cases.

Spring Lake officials said they plan on joint investigations of felonies between local police and the Cumberland County deputies. Those statements prompted Grannis to ask for Keever's intervention.

Jimmy Henly Jr., a 14-year veteran of the Spring Lake police force, said the move should have occurred years ago.

"If you're a victim of crime (in Spring Lake), you're at risk of not being protected," said Henley, who was a patrol and tactical team commander, a narcotics detective, chief of detectives and interim assistant police chief in the department before leaving in 2002.

"They started cutting back on what they considered luxuries and we considered necessities as far as investigating officers and the training that goes with it," he said.

Henley said that, when he left the department, he told county officials that the sheriff's department should take over investigations in Spring Lake.

Spring Lake officials declined to comment Tuesday about the dispute.

But John Jackson, the town's attorney, said he plans to meet with the Spring Lake Board of Aldermen next Monday to discuss the town's legal options.

"Because we're in the county, (the sheriff's) deputies have every right to enforce the law within the municipal boundaries," Jackson said. "What we're talking about here is an exclusion -- to say the town of Spring Lake cannot do things."

22 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 22 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

CJjunkie, you are correct. I am glad I only work in the town of Spring Lake.

LibertarianTechie
July 19, 2007 11:57 a.m.

I deal with this department and know people who were in this department. It needs a serous overhaul. btw, by ordering magistrates not issue felony homicide warrants to spring lake police officers means that spring lake HAS to call the sheriff's dept. to get that warrant. However, it does NOT prevent the department from picking up someone and holding them until a deputy is available....nor does it prevent them from charging someone with other, lesser, crimes (that are usually associated with homicides) until a deputy/detective gets there...anyhow, I think spring lake has to take all their bad guys over to cumberland county to appear before the magistrate and the sheriff's department is right next door...

christinathefern
July 19, 2007 6:31 a.m.

Andy and Barney never handled homicides either.

djofraleigh
July 18, 2007 10:10 a.m.

tbajr -at- aol -dot- com - What makes you think money is made anywhere by the arrest? Granted we can confiscate the money from a drug dealer, but that money is taxed, and whatever percentage it is, is then placed into a account that the department can use to purchase items to fight the "war on drugs". Its not like we can go out and buy anything we want with the money. I think the whole thing here is the Judge and D.A. do not want the Spring Lake police investigating violent crimes. I would love to hear about the death of the child, and how this whole thing ever came around to be! Departments do not just get restrictions put on them for nothing. Must be some serious mishandling of cases?