NORTH CAROLINA

LICENSE & THEFT BUREAU

2015 ANNUAL

REPORT

Steven M. Watkins, Director Craig M. Kohlhaas, Deputy Director

● ● ●

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the DMV License & Theft Bureau is to

enforce all State and Federal laws; which regulate motor

vehicle operations, sales, inspection maintenance, auto

theft and conduct investigations that prevent fraud,

impositions and other abuses upon the citizens of the

state of North Carolina

● ● ●

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Agency History 2

District Offices 3

New Recruits 4

20th Basic Academy 5

ID/Fraud Lab 6

Inspections Unit 7

Dealer Unit 8

Notice and Storage Unit 9

Internal Affairs 10

Training and Development 11

Community Outreach 12

Traffic Stops 14

Statewide Arrest Activity 15

Use of Force Report 16

Grievances and Disciplinary Actions 17

Conclusion 18

AGENCY HISTORY The License and Theft Bureau was formed in 1921 as a proactive attempt towards reducing

the rise of motor vehicle thefts resulting from increased manufacture and progressing

popularity of the Model-T Fords. A special session of the Legislature gave authority to

Secretary of States’ Office to appoint automobile Inspectors charged with the responsibility

of enforcing motor vehicle laws. Thus, 9 Inspectors were sworn in establishing the first law

enforcement agency in North Carolina. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was

founded in 1941 incorporating all aspects of motor vehicle law to include enforcement,

registration, licensing of drivers, school bus safety, and Highway Patrol. W.E. Koonce served

as the first Director of the License and Theft Bureau in 1941. By 1943 the License and Theft

Bureau consisted of six inspectors; C.L. Allison, W.W. Clark, Roy E. Fisher, E.S. Guthrie, W.T.

Landis, J.S. McNeil, and J.R. Wallace. Five years later, in 1948, six additional inspectors were

hired with the agency. During this time the Bureau was known as the NCDMV Enforcement

Unit and it wasn’t until 1951 that the name was changed to “License and Theft Enforcement

Division”. Subsequently, permanent weighing stations established by the State Highway

Commission and the NCDMV Enforcement Unit were responsible for staffing and operating

all stations with uniformed officers. In 1953 the first districts were created, dividing

personnel into four Field Operations Districts in Greenville, Fayetteville, Greensboro and

Asheville. In 1957 District five was added in Salisbury and by 1963 District six was added in

Charlotte. In 1965 the Bureaus’ name was changed to “License and Safety Inspection

Division due to the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Law that was enacted. Also, District

seven was established in Raleigh during this time. In 1975 the Bureau was given another

name change to “License and Theft Section”. By 1980, the Motor Vehicle Enforcement

Section totaled 346 personnel; 93 Inspectors, 192 Weigh Station Personnel, 10 field

supervisors, 4 Supply Office Personnel and 47 Raleigh Headquarters Staff. The emissions

program was created in 1999 when the NC General Assembly passed Legislation to require

an On-Board Diagnostic II (OBD II) Program in current counties and the addition of counties

which were determined by the EPA. In 2003 the Bureau was given its final name change

“NCDMV License and Theft Bureau. Currently the License and Theft Bureau is staffed with

186 Inspections and 98 civilian personnel.

LICENSE & THEFT

DISTRICT LOCATIONS The License and Theft Bureau has statewide jurisdiction; therefore, the agency serves all

areas of North Carolina, to include DMV Headquarters, seven district offices and their

respective components.

Headquarters

1100 New Bern Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27699

(919) 861-3144

District 1

2815 E 10th St. Suite C

Greenville, NC 27858

(252) 752-4435

District 2

4705 Clinton Road

Fayetteville, NC 28312

(910) 486-1331

District 3

3231 Avent Ferry Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 816-9194

District 4

2391 Coliseum Blvd.

Greensboro, NC 27403

(336) 256-2024

District 5

470 W. Hanes Mill Road, Suite 103

Winston Salem, NC 27105

(336) 767-8808

District 6

12101 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road

Huntersville, NC 28078

(704) 331-4500

District 7

1624 Patton Avenue

Asheville, NC 28806

(828) 782-9640

NEW RECRUITS

Gender White Black Asian Hispanic Other Total by Gender

Percentage by Gender

Male 13 0 0 0 0 13 68%

Female 4 2 0 0 0 6 32%

Total by Race/Ethnicity 17 2 0 0 0 19

Percent by Race/Ethnicity 88% 12% 0% 0% 0%

The Bureau consistently strives to hire exceptional recruits to educate and develop them into

specialized Inspectors. Throughout the year members of the Bureau attended recruitment

events at North Carolina colleges and universities including; Fayetteville State University,

Haywood Community College, Wake Technical Community College, UNC Wilmington, and UNC

Pembroke. While over 200 applicants competed for the positions 19 candidates were chosen to

pursue the challenge of becoming a sworn License and Theft Inspector.

Law Enforcement Agent New Hires 2015

New Recruits

arrive for their

first day of the

Basic Academy.

19th & 20TH BASIC ACADEMY

Basic Academies are a six week school designed to train new cadets on specialized

topics including; OC Spray, Vin Restoration, Firearms, Fraudulent Documents,

Odometer Fraud and other subjects pertaining to their jobs as inspectors. The recruits

are challenged physically and mentally to meet the expectations of their projected job

requirements. Discipline, perseverance, and proficiency are required qualities to

achieve the title of a License and Theft Inspector.

ID/FRAUD LAB

The ID/Fraud Unit supports federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the forensic

examination of State issued documents, and with the identification of unknown criminal

suspects through the use of the Division’s Facial Recognition System. The Unit also provides

support to the Division’s law enforcement agents in criminal investigations and proper

classification of antique and custom motor vehicles.

Indemnity Bonds3,814

DCI Stolen Checks14,363

Driver License Cases Screened

112,356

Driver License Cases Initiated

3,669

Driver License Cases Closed

2,651

Antiques and Customs

9,239

Investigations Sent

1,444

Background Investigations

436

FAST FACT:

The Fraud Unit

examined 42 boxes of

titles in 2015!!

Mr. Russell Lucas uses a magnifying glass

to review a box of titles to ensure each

title is authentic. Many security features

of the title are examined including the

title number and presence of a

watermark.

INSPECTIONS UNIT

The Inspections Unit is tasked with the daily operation of the inspection program

and is responsible for licensing and evaluating inspection stations and personnel.

The Inspections Unit renders aid to Bureau personnel, other Division Units,

inspection stakeholders, and North Carolina citizens that are having problems with

motor vehicle inspection procedures. In addition, the Bureau’s Inspections Unit is

responsible for reviewing and notifying inspection stations and/or technicians and

inspection customers when a civil penalty has been alleged against them due to a

violation of criminal or civil law.

FAST FACT

In 2015, there were

8,982,386 Inspections

conducted in North

Carolina.

The picture to the left shows Steve

Saucier working on clean scan

investigations. In 2015, Mr. Saucier

investigated 15,280 scans resulting in 40

vehicle investigations by our inspectors

statewide. These investigations yielded

$200,170 in recovered stolen vehicles.

Exemptions and Waivers

Communications Waivers 77

Data link Waivers 2

Not Ready Waivers (Initial) 8,486

Not ready Waivers (Repair) 163

Out of County Exemptions 494

Out of State Exemptions 33,103

Parts Exemption 8

Repair Waivers 21,992

Administrative Overt Station and Technician Audits 5,457

Covert & Remote Station Audits 5,457

Emissions and Safety investigations 8,542

Type I Violations 207 ($21,750)

Type II Violations 347 ($42,100)

DEALER UNIT

The Dealer Unit is responsible for processing all Motor Vehicle Dealer, Motor Vehicle Sales

Representatives, Manufacturers, Factory Branch, Factory Representative, Distributor,

Distributor Branch and Distributor Representative licenses as required by General Statute §

20-287(a) and 20-288. The Unit provides support to the License and Theft Bureau Inspectors,

other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies by assisting with dealer questions

and dealer investigations. The Dealer Unit is also responsible for the issuance of confidential

and fictitious license plates to all law enforcement agencies in North Carolina.

Paula Pearce from the Dealer Unit was presented with

an award for her outstanding dedication and customer

service. Pictured above (from left): Commissioner Kelly

Thomas, Paula Pearce, Captain Robert Sawyer, and

Director Steve Watkins.

Dealer Renewals 1,583

New Dealers Processed 1,079

Walk- In Customers 8,120

Dealer Plates Issued 27,591

Dealer Salesmen Processed 44,510

FAST FACT:

There are currently

7,710 license dealers in

North Carolina

NOTICE AND STORAGE UNIT

Notice & Storage Investigations

826

Felony Arrests

3

MisdemeanorArrests

116

Linda Wang from the Notice and Storage Unit was

presented with an award for her outstanding

dedication and customer service. Pictured above

(from left): Captain Robert Sawyer, Linda Wang,

Supervisor Michelle Hinton, and Director Steve

Watkins.

The Notice and Storage Unit handles unclaimed, abandoned, stolen and seized vehicle files

and processes required by General Statues 20-77(d) and 44A. The Unit also manages stolen

vehicle files within the Division system by assisting License and Theft Bureau Inspectors

along with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with recoveries and changes

associated with the vehicle records.

LT-260 -Report of Unclaimed Motor

Vehicle

48,881Processed

Lt-262 Notice of Intent to Sell a

Vehicle

20,295Processed

LT-263 - 20 Day Advance Sell

Notice

6,372Processed

Exceptions, Theft Cards and Stolen

Vehicles

27,653Processed

FAST FACT:

In 2015, Notice & Storage

answered 74,753 letters

and emails from customers

statewide!

INTERNAL AFFAIRS

New Complaints

Investigated

13

Total Employees Involved

16

Conduct Unbecoming

7

Job Performance

3

Failure to Follow Policy

3

Investigative Findings

Sustained

7

Unfounded 6

In 2015, The Internal Affairs Unit conducted 13 investigations involving 16 members of the License and

Theft Bureau. The new investigations consisted of 3 violations of “failure to follow policy”, 7 “conduct

unbecoming”, and 3 violations of “job performance”. The actions taken by the Bureau management were

4 dismissals, 1 demotion, 1 written counseling and 1 resignation.

Resignation

Written Counseling

Demotion

Dismissals

1

1

1

4

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

This was a scholastic year for the Bureau as our sworn officers completed an accumulative total of

25,296 hours of training! Topics included all 2016 Mandatory In-Service, Driver Training, Combat

Firearms, Professional Development Training, Rapid Response Training, New Driver License Training

and Customer Service Training.

2015 Mandatory In-Service Training

Topics

Legal Update

Law Enforcement Intelligence

Update

Juvenile Minority Sensitivity

Training: A Juvenile – What does

it have to do with me?

Missing and Abducted Children

Emotional Survival

Officer Safety: Use of Force

Active Shooter Overview

Firearms Training and

Qualification

Domestic Violence : Teen Dating

Driver Training focused on

operating law

enforcement vehicles in

normal situations involving

backing and slow speed

maneuvers. During the

training members were

required to utilize proper

vehicle control, constantly

change directions, and

operate their vehicle in

limited spaces.

All sworn personnel attended a seven hour

Rapid Response Training session in the fall.

The session was designed to teach first line

response tactics for responding to an active

shooter in a public building. The training

covered solo officer, team response and

responding with other agencies.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The NCDMV collected items

to aid South Carolina during

a massive flood in 2015.

License & Theft delivered the

supplies to families and law

enforcement officials in

South Carolina.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

District 3 sponsored four

children for the 2015 holiday

season. These children were

part of the Guardian Ad Litem

of Wake County. Due to this act

of civility, License and Theft was

awarded by the AAMVA

committee for their service to

the community.

Lieutenant Shrader and

Inspector Butler

spending quality time

with children at a local

neighborhood

elementary school.

TRAFFIC STOPS

Initial Purpose of Traffic Stop by Driver’s Sex, Race and Ethnicity

January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015 Data retrieved from the NC Department of Public Safety

Throughout the year, emphasis was placed on staying true to our mission to investigate and

prevent fraud abuses upon the citizens of North Carolina. In our efforts to stay committed to

this mission, our number of traffic stops decreased significantly from the previous year. It is

important to note that the number of dealer audits and inspection station investigations

increased in 2015. By focusing on less traffic violations and more mission based audits and

investigations, the decrease in traffic stops is a positive sign that the Bureau is focused and

moving in the right direction. The chart below is created by the NC Department of Public

Safety and is located on their website.

STATEWIDE ARREST ACTIVITY

Comparison of 2014 arrests made by the Bureau to 2015

arrests by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity

District Offices Felony Misdemeanor's Total Arrest

Activity Vehicles

Recovered Total Theft Recovery

District I (Greenville) 50 952 1002 65 $480,500.00

District II (Fayetteville) 192 1031 1223 160 $1,411,933.47

District III (Raleigh) 104 724 828 147 $1,189,701.00

District IV (Greensboro) 322 445 767 94 $926,408.00

District V (Winston Salem) 140 1265 1405 132 $1,042,765.00

District VI (Charlotte) 772 2846 3618 169 $1,489,081.00

District VII (Asheville) 110 504 614 151 $625,151.45

Totals 1690 7767 9457 918 $7,165,539.92

Statewide arrest operations totaled 9,457 arrests for the 2015 year. These arrests were

triggered by criminal activity concerning dealer violations, identity fraud, auto larceny, drug

crimes, driver license fraud, traffic violations, title fraud and odometer fraud. In twelve

months’ time the bureau recovered $7,165,539.92 in total vehicle theft recovery. The

following chart is divided by district to reflect statewide operations concerning arrest activity

and vehicle recovery.

2015 Felony Arrest Statistics

Gender White Black Asian Hispanic Other Total by Gender Percent By Gender

Male 751 387 11 181 64 1394 82.5%

Female 142 88 2 56 8 296 17.5%

Total By Race/Ethnicity 893 475 13 237 72 1690

Percent By Race/Ethnicity 55% 28% 1% 15% 1%

2014 Felony Arrest Statistics

Gender White Black Asian Hispanic Other Total by Gender Percent By Gender

Male 761 308 5 132 53 1259 85%

Female 111 83 0 33 7 234 15%

Total By Race/Ethnicity 872 391 5 165 60 1493

Percent By Race/Ethnicity 59% 26% 1% 11% 1%

USE OF FORCE REPORT

2 0 1 4 2 0 1 5

2014

162015

11

USE OF FORCE CASES REVIEWED

There was a 31% percent decrease from 2014 to 2015 in use of force report cases

reviewed. Eleven cases were reviewed during 2015 and all eleven were determined to be

in compliance with the DMV License and Theft Bureau policy. From the eleven incidents

reported by agents, there were no reported incidents of injury. Use of force reports are

required when there is assault on an officer or the officer deems it necessary to utilize

force with their hands, OC Spray, Flashlight, firearm or baton.

-31%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Pointing Duty Weapon

Soft Hand Technique

OC Spray

Types of Force Used

Number of Incidents

GRIEVANCES AND DISCIPLINARY

ACTIONS The License and Theft Bureau is an equal opportunity employer and offers its employees options

to grieve disciplinary actions that arise out of or due to employment issues as outlined under

N.C.G.S. 126-34. Grievances filed through the NCDOT Office of State Human Resources are

reviewed and a decision is made by the Office of Employee Relations and the Secretary of

Transportation. The following charts compare the last three years (2013-2015) of grievances and

disciplinary action data within the Bureau, provided by the North Carolina State Office of Human

Resources (OSHR).

Action 2013 2014 2015

Disciplinary Actions 7 9 2

Non Disciplinary Actions 0 0 0

Grievances Filed 3 0 0

Issue 2013 2014 2015

Denial of Promotion 0 0 0

Disciplinary Action 0 0 0

Demotion (Non-Disciplinary) 0 0 0

Transfer-Mileage 0 0 0

Denial of Transfer 0 0 0

Job Performance 0 0 0

Discrimination 0 0 0

Alternate Pay Dispute 3 0 0

Retaliation 0 0 0

Total 3 0 0

Grievance Issue

Consequences 2013 2014 2015

Written Warning 4 7 1

Suspended Without Pay 1 0 0

Demotion 0 2 1

Dismissal 2 0 0

Actions

Disciplinary Actions

CONCLUSION

The License and Theft Bureau had an eventful and productive year. Nineteen new recruits

were added to the agency roster totaling 187 law enforcement agents within the Bureau

statewide. All sworn personnel had a variety of training for the year including; Mandatory

In-Service, Driver Training, Rapid Response Training and other technical training.

Proudly, the agency recovered 918 vehicles totaling $7,165,539.92 in vehicle theft

recovery in 2015. The repossession of these vehicles accomplished the Bureaus mission

of regulating auto theft and preventing abuses upon the citizens of the state of North

Carolina.

Civilian staff demonstrated that they are a true asset to the Bureau by completing a vast

array of duties and supporting field officers. Civilian staff also assisted customers

statewide including; dealerships, inspection stations and motor vehicle owners.

Community service is always a priority to the agency. This year South Carolina was hit

with a major flood which caused many to face challenges at home. Serving our

neighboring state in a time of need was not only necessary but rewarding in many

aspects.

In the coming years, the agency will continue to accomplish its mission of enforcing all

State and Federal laws; and continuing to serve North Carolina citizens.

Inspector Robert James Bowling was a full time sworn law enforcement officer with

the DMV License and Theft Bureau for approximately 24 years at the time of his

death. Robbie Bowling began his law enforcement career with DMV in 1991 when

he was hired as a weigh station officer and assigned to the Hillsborough Weigh

Station in Orange County. In June of 1999, Robbie was promoted to Staff Sergeant

over the District IV Motor Carrier Unit. Over the years Robbie demonstrated a true

passion for his job and because of that he earned the promotion of Inspector in

2001 and was assigned to Durham County and transferred to Orange County 2002.

On May 21, 2015, Inspector Bowling was traveling in an undercover unmarked

police cruiser on Old Hillsborough Rd. in Mebane, North Carolina when he struck

another vehicle which resulted in his untimely departure. Inspector Bowling was

buried with full honors at Phillips Chapel United Methodist Church carried to church

service then grave site by North Carolina Troopers Association Caisson Unit of State

Highway Patrol and laid to rest after a firing party rendered its volley of honors.

Robbie Bowling was a loving husband and beloved co-worker. He always went out of

his way to help his friends and co-workers when they needed it. When you saw

Robbie, you always saw him with a smile on his face and the radiance in his eyes.

End of Watch May 21st, 2015

In Memory of Robert J. Bowling