By Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
The Charlotte Observer
RALEIGH — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein called for more police in the wake of the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte transit.
Video of the attack was released to media outlets over the weekend in response to public records requests.
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“I am heartbroken for the family of Iryna Zarutska, who lost their loved one to this senseless act of violence, and I am appalled by the footage of her murder. We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe,” Stein posted on social media on Monday.
Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte on Aug. 22, the Charlotte Observer previously reported, and Decarlos Brown, 34, is charged with her murder.
Hiring more law enforcement, security
The Charlotte Area Transit System told the Observer by email last week that its contracted security company is working to fill 35 vacancies and is “actively recruiting, hiring and training staff with the goal of achieving full staffing this fall.”
Stein called on the General Assembly to pass his proposal to recruit and retain more police officers. The legislature is more than two months late in passing a budget bill, hung up on disagreements over future tax cuts between House and Senate Republican leaders.
The Democratic governor said his plan “calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers.”
“I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable,” he said.
Stein’s proposal he sent lawmakers in March calls for more than $30 million this year and next year for raises for correctional and law enforcement officers on state pay plans, as well as recruitment bonuses. Bonuses for graduates of basic law enforcement training would be state-funded, as would sign-on bonuses for new hires from out of state. Bonuses would be paid to state and local law enforcement officers once they start their new jobs.
Senate leader Phil Berger also posted on social media Monday about the murder, saying that he’s “praying for her family and loved ones. It’s time to put soft-on-crime DAs, judges, politicians and sheriffs on notice. Their embrace of lawlessness in the name of ‘equity’ will not be tolerated.”
Brown’s previous charges include felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats, most of which were dropped, the Observer reported. Brown’s lawyer said during a first court appearance that he planned to file a motion for an evaluation of of his client’s competency to stand trial because of his “long history” of mental health issues, WSOC reported.
While Berger did not reference specific legislation, the Republican leader did say he’s “committed to keeping North Carolinians safe and will work with my #NCGA colleagues to go after violent criminals and support law enforcement.”
The Senate’s budget proposal included raises for state law enforcement, including new salary schedules and some raises of 6.5% — higher than those proposed for other state employees.
The House budget proposal includes a provision that would use cuts to vacant state employee positions to fund higher raises.
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