On April 7, 2006 I.A.P.E. Executive Director Joe Latta and Board President Bill Kiley were invited to be guest speakers before the "North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission," in Raleigh, N.C. The Commission, which is chaired by Chief Justice Sarah Parker, of the North Carolina Supreme Court, is comprised of an impressive membership of individuals within or connected with the North Carolina Criminal Justice System. Among the members are several other Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges from state and county courts, District Attorneys from many counties, Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Public Defenders Office representatives, Law School Dean and Professor, staff of victims' rights groups, an individual from the Innocence Project in New York City, and several other distinguished individuals. The invitation to I.A.P.E. had been extended by the Commission's Executive Director, Ms. Chris Mumma.

The mission of the N.C. Actual Innocence Commission is to provide a forum for education and dialog among prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement personnel, legal scholars, legislative representatives, and victim advocates regarding the common causes of wrongful conviction of the innocent and to develop potential procedures to decrease the possibility of conviction of the innocent in North Carolina, thereby increasing conviction of the guilty.

Your I.A.P.E. representatives addressed the evolving challenges that face state and local law enforcement in the area of Property and Evidence. Joe Latta and Bill Kiley particularly focused on the impact of DNA technology and its correlation to changing state statutes that will require long term storage of evidence. In addition to addressing the need for education with regard to the intake, storage, preservation, and destruction of evidence, Latta and Kiley spoke of the need for more standard guidelines on the storage of biological evidence from the scientific community. A major concern is the amount of storage space that will be required to store homicide and sexual assault evidence for decades and longer. "Who," asked Joe Latta, "will be paying to build, maintain, and staff the warehouses that will be required as statutes change?" Indeed, the Commission is already beginning to examine the feasibility of regional, long-term storage facilities, that might possibly operated by counties or by a state agency. Chief Justice Parker and the members of the Commission appeared to be very interested in the comments of the I.A.P.E. representatives.

Bill Kiley noted, "The invitation for us to speak to the N.C. Actual Innocence Commission is just one more indication of the ever expanding recognition of the professional work of I.A.P.E. and of the importance of the work that our members do on a day-to-day basis." 
 

From left to right: President Bill Kiley Executive Director Chris Mumma Chief justice Sarah Pariker IAPE Executive Director Joe Latta