Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/662278
12 APRIL 6-11, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The annual unemployment rate for the latest generation of veterans in 2015 was the lowest ever recorded, government sta- tistics indicate. Post 9/11 veterans had an average unem- ployment rate of 5.8 percent for the year, according to a new Bureau of Labor Statistics report, down sig- nificantly from the 7.2 percent posted last year. Not only is the annual rate for 2015 significant- ly lower than any other an- nual rate in the group's history, it's also lower than all but a few of the pre-2015 monthly unem- ployment rates, which are volatile and prone to dramatic increases and decreases. "North Carolina is putting more vet- erans to work thanks to a rebounding economy and strong job growth across the state," said Governor Pat McCrory. The governor's office says the unemployment rate for veterans in North Carolina has fallen more than 3 percent in two years. In 2013, it was 6.2 percent. That number dropped to 3.1 percent in 2015 according to a re- cent Labor Department report. That's two percentage points better than the national average. McCrory credits emphasis on con- necting transitioning military person- nel with businesses and state govern- ment agencies. "I understand that veterans are highly trained, highly disciplined and know how to get the job done," said McCrory. "This is great news for our state and is a testament to our efforts to make North Carolina the most military and veteran friendly state in the nation." One of the programs that has significantly contributed to veteran employment is the North Carolina for Military Employment initiative. "Employers are recognizing the valu- able skill-sets and expertise veterans have to offer," said Neal Alexander, director of the Office of State Human Resources. "Transitioning military personnel have the knowledge, skills, and abilities that employers are look- ing for… including state government." Since 2013, the state has added more than 260,000 private sector jobs and is currently ranked 6th in the nation in job creation. Veteran employment experts have attributed the employment gains to an improving economy. They agree there has been a combined intense focus on the issue from public and private sec- tors alike. Still, they emphasized that there is work left to do. "That doesn't mean it's time for a victory lap or anything like that," said Ryan Gallucci, Veterans of Foreign Wars deputy director for national veterans' service. The unemployment rate for post- 9/11 veterans has been on a wild ride since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began to track it in September 2008 NEWS Veteran Unemployment Is On the Decline by JEFF THOMPSON Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West says local law enforce- ment agencies are not required to ask the State Bureau of Investigation to examine officer-involved shootings. In fact, West says Charlotte-Mecklen- burg police do not depend on the SBI. "It's totally up to the law enforce- ment agency to put the officer back on duty," following internal investiga- tions rather than wait on SBI findings, which can sometimes take up to a year, West said. Families of deceased victims in police use-of-force cases have statutory authority to request independent SBI investigations if the District Attorney does not, which is one reason the state probes have become common place. "They've tried to make some improvements in the speed of these investigations," West added. Some are now concluded in about 90 days, and that may be why Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock has become more patient. Medlock recently told Up & Coming Weekly he would not necessarily wait for a state probe to be concluded if his own department found an officer not at fault in a use-of-force incident. Now though, Medlock says, "I will not return any officer to patrol duty until a decision is made regarding the criminal investigation which is conducted by the SBI." The police department's internal affairs bureau conducts parallel inves- tigations primarily to determine if the law was broken or departmental policy violated. Medlock says those determinations are usually made in three months' time. The district attorney notes that SBI agents who probe use-of-force cases have specialized training and take great pains to get to the truth. West says he's satisfied the State Bureau of Investigation would like to have more agents, but "from the director on down, they've put em- phasis on making improvements in officer-involved investigations. The quality of their investigations is really good," he said. One of the things that holds up completion of some investigations is getting autopsy reports in a timely man- ner, West added. "The medical examiner's office is backed up, and I've told the SBI to get me their reports without the medical examiner's findings," added West. He notes that North Carolina's criminal justice system, including the courts, receives about two percent of the state budget. Once West receives investigative findings, he and his staff take a couple of weeks to review them before he decides whether to prosecute officers. Neither West nor his predecessor have ever brought charges against cops in officer-involved shootings in their 40 years on the job. Each has been exonerated and returned to duty. Chief Medlock says some cops have resigned and left the profession in the wake of their involvement in use- of-force cases. SBI records indicate there have been more such incidents in Fayetteville than any other city in the state, a dozen cases since 2011. Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied by JEFF THOMPSON Cumberland County District Attor- ney Billy West