news-record.com

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Beverly Perdue should avoid putting the leadership of the embattled Highway Patrol into "indefinite limbo" and select its next commander under current rules that prevent an outsider from being appointed, an advisory group recommended Wednesday.

The patrol Leadership Advisory Group's report also suggested several policy changes to ensure patrol officers conduct themselves honorably after repeated problems involving troopers and their behavior. The six-member panel said it needed more time to determine whether the misconduct resulted from rogue officers or systemic issues within the patrol that required more reform.

Read the group's full report.

The group's report was made public one day after Col. Randy Glover's final day as commander. Perdue announced in mid-July Glover was stepping down after a year on the job marked by continued scrutiny of the trooper scandals.

Current state law narrows the field of candidates for commander to people within the agency. The panel said Perdue should act now to replace Glover rather than wait until she can get the General Assembly to change that rule when it convenes next January.

If she waited, the group wrote, the "patrol would be in an 'indefinite limbo' in leadership and critical decision-making pending potential legislative action possibly for a period up to 18 months, if not longer."

Perdue said the patrol and Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Reuben Young would carry out the recommendations and that she would give the board more time to do more work. She said she would consider naming an interim commander while the search for a permanent commander is carried out.

"The ship isn't going to be rudderless," Perdue told reporters. "You can rest assured that we'll have a complete management control system in place and I will busily work on making sure there's continuity in command and the patrol runs smoothly."

The group looked at other states before outlining a process for selecting a commander that appears to widen the candidate pool without changing the law, as well as separate political considerations that critics argue hold too much weight.

The report said all patrol members with a rank of lieutenant or above should declare whether they are seeking the post. Candidates would be subject to a through background investigation performed by an outside law enforcement agency or private firm. Unsolicited external contact or recommendations on behalf of a potential candidate "shall be documented as part of the process," according to the recommendation. Young would offer at least one finalist for Perdue to consider.

Perdue organized the advisory group after a string of ethical lapses in the patrol that caused her to meet with the patrol's top officers this summer. Some troopers have resigned or been fired for problems ranging from drunken driving arrests to sending inappropriate text messages. Perdue has said repeatedly the overwhelming majority of the 1,800 troopers are performing their jobs with integrity.

The report proposed updating rules on troopers who want to moonlight, the use of personal cell phones and patrol vehicles.

The advisory group recommended that troopers be required to notify the patrol communications center when a member of the opposite sex is placed in the patrol car for official business. In recent years, some troopers have been caught having sex in their patrol cars. Troopers also should live in the county in which they serve so they can respond quickly in an emergency.

The patrol also should create a process in which citizens can make complaints, possibly through its Web site.

The panel's members included law professor Julius Chambers, former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell and Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director who co-authored a recent review of the State Bureau of Investigation's crime lab.