Employees recognized as Governor's Award nominees

James Baker and Turner South with members
of the NCDOC executive team.

During the past two weeks the Department has been recognizing employees who were nominated for the 2010 Governor's Award for Excellence.

Marion Correctional Institution classification coordinator Turner South was a winner of the award.  He was recognized at the Division of Prison management team meeting on April 5 along with these nominees: Correctional Officer James Baker or Morrison CI, Sgt. Brian Eason of Pasquotank CI and Correctional Officer Cassie Fueston of Pasquotank CI. 

 Shown left to right are: Secretary Alvin Keller, Division of Prisons Director Bob Lewis, Baker, Chief Operating Officer Jennie Lancaster, South, and Deputy Secretary James French.  Not pictured are nominees Brian Eason and Cassie Fueston. 



Wrenn Patterson - DACDP

 Wrenn Patterson, the clinical director for the Division of Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency Programs, was also a nominee for the Governor's Award and was recognized at a recent DACDP leadership meeting by Assistant Secretary Virginia Price.

DCC director Tim Moose and Secretary Keller with Jennifer Glover,
Rodney Trogdon and Lauren Pittman.

At the Division of Community Corrections, Director Tim Moose and Secretary Keller recognized award winner Rodney Trogdon, Chief PPO in Randolph County along with probation/parole officers Jennifer Glover and Lauren Pittman who were nominees.

Secretary Keller reads to children



N.C. Secretary of Correction Alvin W. Keller, Jr. reads to students at Alger B. Wilkins Elementary School in Fayetteville Wednesday morning as part of the Read Across America program.

Supported by Gov. Bev Perdue, the initiative sends state leaders into classrooms across the state. Read Across America is an annual program of the National Education Association that coincides with the birthday of Dr. Seuss, one of America’s best-loved authors of children’s books. The NEA calls for every child from pre-school to high school to be reading in the company of a caring adult.

Oates named 2011 Superintendent of the Year



Asst. Director of Prisons Ricky Anderson (l)
2011 Superintendent of the Year Ennis Oates
Director of Prisons Bob Lewis (r)

RALEIGH - Ennis Oates, superintendent of Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro, has been named Superintendent the Year for 2011 announced North Carolina Division of Prisons Director Bob Lewis.

“Mr. Oates’ experience and ability to handle one of the more complex institutions in the Division of Prisons is indicative of why he is a worthy candidate and nominee for Superintendent of the Year,” Lewis said.

Oates began his 35-year career with the North Carolina Department of Correction in 1975 as a Correctional Officer at Central Prison. He was promoted to sergeant in 1981 at New Hanover Correctional Center and promoted to lieutenant in 1983 at Eastern Correctional Institution. He served as assistant superintendent for operations at New Hanover Correctional Center and superintendent at Wayne and New Hanover Correctional Centers. .

Oates has worked with at-risk youth and currently serves as a member of the Men of Distinction, a group of community volunteers consisting of business men, lawyers, judges, etc. who work with male high school students encouraging away from gang and drug related activities. He has participated in the One-on-One Program spending time reading to students in middle school.

He is a graduate of Smithfield Selma High School and served in the U.S. Army. He and his wife have two children.

Neuse Correctional Institution an 828-bed processing institution that processes all misdemeanor and some felon inmates into the North Carolina prison system and receives male inmates from all 100 counties. Over 7,500 inmates are processed each year at Neuse

A Passion for Service to Others

Glorious Elliott shares Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s passion for being of service to others.

Elliott, a chief probation/parole officer in district 1, was asked in early January by Judicial District Manager Ray Griggs to serve as chairperson for school supplies drive as part of the State Employee’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance Program on January 17.

“During this holiday, it has been asked that we celebrate it by having state employees give back to counties affected by the flood,” Elliott wrote in a letter to fellow co-workers in District 1. “We have been asked to donate school supplies so those in Raleigh can distribute these items to those who are less fortunate that we are.” She was referring to last fall’s extensive flooding in eastern North Carolina.

The response to her appeal was impressive. The outpouring of generosity from District 1 staff was so overwhelming that Elliott found that the weight of the donated supplies exceeded the capabilities of courier service to Raleigh.

As an alternative to shipping the items, they were kept in the local community and donated to schools in the Edenton area. School officials in the area were very pleased to receive the supplies.

Correctional officers help troopers restock Teddy Bear supplies

 Correctional officers at Johnston Correctional Institution donated 40 teddy bears to the North Carolina Highway Patrol in late December. Troopers carry stuffed animals in their cars to comfort children who are victims of vehicle crashes and other traumatic events.

Pictured, left to right, are: Master Trooper Braswell, Sgt. J.L. Gaskins, Superintendent Hall, Master Trooper D.H. Kenan, Master Trooper J.S. Partin, Johnston Correctional Sgt. William Herring and Master Trooper G.H. Fryar.

 Johnston Correctional Institution Superintendent Joseph Hall said troopers contacted him in early December informing him that the Johnston detachment was in need of some new stuffed animals. Correctional officers responded to the call by organizing a Teddy Bear Drive during the month of December. Bears were purchased and donated by staff at the Johnston County prison.

“We know these bears will bring a smile upon a child at a time when the child might need it most,” said Trooper Dwight Braswell of the Smithfield Highway Patrol Office.

Correction secretary Alvin Keller said, “This is a superb example of members of two agencies supporting their common goal of public safety.”

Giving thanks for help at the holidays

Two North Carolina families are thankful this holiday season for NCDOC probation officers who were there to help them after serious traffic accidents.

Probation officer Danny Liles was about to break for lunch in Siler City last Friday when he came upon the scene of an accident that had just happened – a woman’s car had crashed into a telephone pole.  Liles and others who rushed to the car found the victim unresponsive behind the wheel.  The car was in gear and the door locked.  They tried to rock the car to rouse the woman, but that didn’t work.

Moments later State Troopers arrived and smashed a rear window to open the driver’s door. One trooper quickly assessed the driver and found she was not breathing. Liles and another trooper carefully removed her from the car and began CPR, with Liles handling the compressions. They continued CPR until paramedics arrived to relieve them. The woman is now at home recovering from a previously unknown heart condition that’s believed to have caused the accident.

PPO Margret Crumroy was on the way to work in Scotland County last Tuesday morning when she saw a truck skid on black ice and smash in to a utility pole -- sending sparks flying as the pole crashed down. Officer Crumroy assisted a mother and her scared children out of the wrecked vehicle and remained with them, providing comfort until help arrived.  After emergency responders arrived, Officer Crumroy helped direct traffic around the accident scene.

Thanks to both officers for a job well done!

Correction Enterprises wants to make your pictures perfect

Eric Malave, right, supervises inmates

RALEIGH – From retirement certificates to poster art for offices, Correction Enterprises has branched out into framing and matting. It is yet another service being offered that not only provides an employable skill for inmates, but also provides state employees with a new option for framing at competitive prices.

The framing and matting operation is located right off Martin Luther King Boulevard at the Quick Copy Center behind the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh. To start, two honor grade inmates from Raleigh Correctional Center for Women just around the corner will be training and working on framing and matting. Eventually, Correction Enterprises hopes to have as many as ten inmates working in the frame shop.

The inmates will work under the direction of Eric Malave who has more than 30 years experience in framing and matting.

“I started in the business learning the very basics and studied the whole process,” said Malave. “I will start the inmates out training on samples and gradually guide them through to the point where they will wind up with a skill that could get them get a job when they are released.”

Inmates cut custom frame

Mary Bullard, Quick Copy Center manager, added that with the skills the inmates will obtain, they could work at any frame shop or potentially work towards operating their own business.

State employees who would like more information about the framing and matting service should visit this link: http://www.correctionenterprises.com/framing/

Perdue praises law enforcement, correction leaders

Gov. Bev Perdue addressed law enforcement and correction leaders at the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission Safe Communities Conference in Greensboro.

The conference is held once every three years and draws more than 500 professionals in law enforcement, corrections, judicial and victim services.

“This conference is a testament to our ongoing commitment to being tough on crime, and even more importantly, smart on crime,” Gov. Perdue said.

As Governor, Perdue has worked with the General Assembly to toughen the probation and parole system, to increase access to information for law enforcers and to cut through red tape to speed warrant processing.

At the conference, Gov. Perdue recounted how she rode along with a probation officer one night and saw first-hand the challenges faced by probation officers. 

Turner South presented 2010 Governor’s Award for Excellence

Turner South, a classification coordinator at Marion Correctional Institution, received the Governor's Award for Excellence this week in the category of human relations.

Early one evening last February, Turner picked up a young man who was walking along an interstate highway, wearing only the green garb of a minimum custody inmate. The man told Turner he was trying to get to a Wal-Mart.

On their way and over the next hour or so, Turner made several phone calls and learned that the young man was a former DOC inmate who had been released on detainer to a local law enforcement agency earlier in the day.  However, the local jail eventually found no need to hold him and released him with no means to get home.

At Wal-Mart, Turner bought some new clothes for the former inmate. He spoke by phone to the young man’s mother and arranged for him to have a room overnight at a local motel.

The state does what it can to prepare inmates for successful release, but not all releases are the same, as Turner learned that night. Ultimately, Turner was a great ambassador for the State of North Carolina: He showed compassion and used his own resources to treat another human being with dignity and respect.

Chief PPO Rodney Trogdon presented 2010 Governor’s Award for Excellence

Rodney Trogdon is a chief probation/parole officer in Randolph County with 24 years of service as a state employee. Rodney received the Governor's Award for Excellence this week for his commitment of service to the public and his fellow officers, specifically in three areas.

First is Rodney’s support for Relay for Life, raising money for cancer research. He began a fund-raising motorcycling event, call Angela’s Ride, named in honor of his wife who died of breast cancer in 1999.

The event has raised $22,500 for Community Corrections’ contribution to Relay for Life.
Rodney is also leading Randolph Fellowship Homes Inc. as it seeks to raise nearly $370,000 for a half-way house for men seeking to kick alcoholism and drug addiction. Rodney is president of the organization’s board.

As a leader in the N.C. Probation/Parole Association, Rodney established a car show to raise money to help pay for seminars and workshops. The money also contributes to an officers benevolent fund for medical, financial or other family need.