Scott Thomas, a district attorney and former state senator from Craven County, has been named chairman of the Governor's Crime Commission.

Thomas will head a 11-member advisory committee that recommends policy on fighting crime and administers federal criminal justice and juvenile justice grants, Rob Christensen reports.

"The Governor's Crime Commission will be an active voice in my administration, advising me on the best ways to prevent, deter and fight crime," Gov. Beverly Perdue said in making the appointment.

Thomas, 42, whose father was also a state senator, had been considered a top candidate for Perdue’s secretary of crime control and public safety.

Other new members of the commission include Richard Shaffer, a district attorney for Cleveland and Lincoln counties; James Wilson Pierce, executive director of Kids Making It, in Wilmington; Rodney Monroe, the Charlotte police chief; Superior Court Judge Carl Fox of Orange County; and Jennifer Roberts, chair of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.