Former North Carolina Gov. and Democrat Senate candidate Roy Cooper has received zero endorsements from law enforcement organizations, a notable development in a campaign centered on his horrendous record while leading the state.
Three major organizations supporting law enforcement have shunned Cooper in favor of former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley — the NC Troopers Association, the NC Police Benevolent Association, and the NC Fraternal Order of Police.
“Michael Whatley has the 100 percent support of the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police [FOP]. He has demonstrated to the North Carolina FOP that he stands with law enforcement, and will work to make sure our officers have the resources needed to keep our communities safe. Michael Whatley will always back the blue and have our backs in Washington DC,” said NC Fraternal Order of Police President Chet Effler earlier this month in a statement.
The NC Police Benevolent Association, which is the largest of the three, met with both candidates before endorsing Whatley.
“This endorsement process is probably the most thorough out there,” said PBA President David Rose in a North State Journal report. “Michael Whatley has met with us, discussed our issues, met with a committee of about 24 of our members, as did Roy Cooper… when we reach this decision, we are picking the person that we think most identifies our issues and that we can trust that while we’re out there keeping citizens safe, that’s going to have our back and keep us safe.”
The NC Troopers Association endorsement is especially notable given Cooper’s tenure in state government. The NCTA represents the North Carolina Highway Patrol, which directly reported to, and worked closely, with Cooper for eight years.
Cooper has attempted to sell to voters in the Tar Heel State that he kept violent offenders in prison, a claim refuted by the fact he released 4,200 convicted criminals in 2021 — the largest mass prison release in state history. He was the only governor in the country who signed a legally-binding agreement requiring their state to release prisoners, something even blue state governors in Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey didn’t do.
North Carolina’s Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission found in a 2024 report that the recidivism rate for released convicts was 48 percent, higher than the rate for the nearly 13,000 released over the course of fiscal year 2021 (44 percent).
The renewed focus on Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies comes as the family of Iryna Zarutska filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Charlotte over her murder.
The lawsuit says the city is responsible for negligence regarding low security and failing to enforce ticket requirements, arguing her death was preventable.
Mecklenburg County, where the city of Charlotte is located, implemented many of the changes in Cooper’s soft-on-crime manifesto including cashless bail and reduced charges for violent offenders.
In part, the report says the state should “promote diversion and other alternatives to arrest,” writing that law enforcement and prosecutors “should consider the impact of collateral consequences of a criminal record” and encourage citations and summonses in lieu of arrests.
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