North Carolina attorney general seeks funds to create fetanyl, cold case units

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Wednesday he wants additional staff for his office to combat fentanyl trafficking and to solve longstanding sexual assault crimes, as well as more funds to help law enforcement agencies recruit and retain officers.

Stein, who is also the Democratic nominee for governor this fall, held a news conference with several police chiefs and sheriffs to highlight his legislative priorities during this year’s General Assembly session.

“We’re facing serious public safety issues that threaten the well-being of people in our communities,” Stein said. “There are real, concrete steps that the legislature can take to help us address these issues.”

Stein said he would like to hire several attorneys for a “fentanyl control unit” that would assist local prosecutors in what are considered time-consuming and complicated trafficking and overdose cases. There were nearly 3,400 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in North Carolina in 2022, Stein said.

And he wants a handful of new staff to establish a “cold case unit” within the Department of Justice. He said the recent elimination of the backlog for testing thousands of sexual assault kits in police custody has led to additional matches between the DNA collected and profiles in the national DNA database.

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