HOGAN, BELLAMY WANT FUNDS TO IMPROVE COURT SYSTEM

RALEIGH -- Asheville police might never have had the confrontation that
led to a fatal shooting last year if the state's court system wasn't
so clogged, Police Chief Bill Hogan said Tuesday.

Hogan and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy were in Raleigh, meeting with
lawmakers in making a pitch for hiring more judges and assistant
district attorneys. Advertisement An Asheville police officer on July
6 killed Lacy Pickens III by shooting into his car four times out of
fear Pickens was about to run down his partner. Hogan said Pickens,
27, was picked up a month and a half before the shooting for
possession of 4 kilograms of cocaine.

"Had he been held during that time, (the officer) might not have been
put in the position where we had to use deadly force," the police
chief said in an interview. Many offenders are back on the street
within hours of being arrested. The three-strikes law counts only when
offenders are convicted with felonies. Because the court system is so
backed up, criminals could commit countless crimes before they are
finally convicted of a felony, Hogan said. "The folks who are engaged
in criminal activity have no fear or respect for the court system
because it's so overwhelmed," Hogan said. "We're trying to establish a
system of accountability." There were 2,844 felony cases filed in
Buncombe County Criminal Superior Court from July 1, 2005, to June 30,
2006, the latest year for which the figures were available from the
state Office of Courts. Of those, 76 went to trial, 132 pleaded to a
lesser offense, and 1,820 pleaded guilty as charged.

"Looking at the conviction rates in a one-year snapshot is kind of
tricky," said Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore. "Maybe you
didn't have a long trial and got shorter cases. We continue to deal
with more and more people, although the crime rates are down." State
lawmakers allocated $3.8 million and $1.1 million last year to hire
new prosecutors and judges, respectively, across the state. Buncombe
County got one of each. A budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year won't be
passed until late summer or early fall.

Bellamy said she did a study and found the most crime-infested
neighborhoods also had unemployment rates at 50 percent.

"We need more support for prevention programs," Bellamy said. "It's
not just one bullet that will solve the problem. There has to be a
comprehensive plan."