Law

A federal safety panel will open hearings on the sinking of a tall ship during Hurricane Sandy last October.  The H-M-S Bounty set out to sea from a Connecticut port to outrun Sandy before it grew into the superstorm that slammed the northeast.  The crew had to abandon ship in 30 foot swells before the tall ship sank just off Cape Hatteras.  One crew member died.  The body of the the ship's captain was never recovered.  Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Mike Patterson says eight days of hearings are scheduled to find out what went wrong.

A laboratory in Burlington will begin testing forensic evidence and building a regional database of DNA evidence in an effort to help local law enforcement agencies solve crimes. The privately owned DNA: SI Labs says it can test samples and provide results much more quickly than the State Bureau of Investigation.

Researchers at Duke University say the number of Muslim Americans convicted of terrorist acts in the U.S. is on a steady decline. They released the findings in conjunction with the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security.  In 2009, 49 people were arrested, and the number has dropped each subsequent year to 14 arrests last year. David Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center, says recent terrorism plotters haven’t been as sophisticated.

City Manager J. Russell Allen announced today that he has named Cassandra Deck-Brown to be Raleigh’s new Chief of Police. Deck-Brown has been serving as Interim Police Chief for the Raleigh Police Department since October 1, 2012, when former Police Chief Harry Dolan retired. Prior to being Interim Police Chief, she was the Deputy Chief. Deck-Brown is the first African-American female to hold the position. Her promotion is effective February 1.