President Drewery statement on the tragedy at Pasquotank Correctional Institution

Oct 13, 2017

SEANC President Stanley Drewery offers this statement on the tragedy that has claimed the lives of two Department of Public Safety employees at Pasquotank Correctional Institution:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Justin Smith and Veronica Darden, as well as the many correctional officers and staff members who were injured in this horrific tragedy.

"But thoughts and prayers must also be followed up with action. Correctional officers’ safety issues have been ignored despite an assault every 8 hours and we pray someone in power will finally care enough to do something.

“Every day thousands of brave men and women go to work in our prisons to protect us all from dangerous criminals. They don’t deal with suspects. They deal with convicted criminals so the rest of us don’t have to. It’s past time for the state to give these heroes the resources, training and manpower to ensure that they return home safely.”