Commissioners
Our law is unique in that it requires that our three-member Commission include a victim of violent crime who has suffered serious personal injury or is a member of such victim's immediate family or member of a deceased victim's immediate family if the deceased victim died as a result of the violent crime. This provision insures that each claim is viewed through the eye of a victim and is seen as objectively as possible.
The law also provides that one member be a law enforcement officer with a minimum of 10 years experience in or with a law enforcement agency which has among its primary duties and responsibilities the investigation of violent crimes. Again, a certain perspective lends itself to the decision making process.
Barbara Brown
Mrs. Barbara Brown was appointed to the Commission as the crime victim representative to serve a four-year term in November 1996, by Governor Fob James. She was appointed to a second term on February 13, 2001, by Governor Don Siegelman, and subsequently, in 2004 and 2009 by Governor Bob Riley. Mrs. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Miles College, and a Masters of Science in Guidance and Counseling from Troy State University. She also attended Tuskegee Institute, where she majored in Biology. Mrs. Brown has held various professional positions such as Social Worker, Counselor, and Administrator in Cleveland Ohio. She also served as a Social Worker ad Program Director for the Department of Pensions and Security and the Center for Mental Health/Mental Retardation respectively in Selma, Alabama. Mrs. Brown is affiliated with several civic and professional organizations, and is the recipient of many honors as a result of her service to the community. Mrs. Brown is the mother of two murdered sons, Brandon, age 19 and Horace Jr., age 28. Although no arrests have been made in either of her sons’ brutal murders, she does not allow herself to rest from seeing that the murderers are brought to justice. Effective April 3, 2001, Mrs. Brown and others saw the passage of a Resolution designating that April 4, 2001, be declared as National Anti-Murder Awareness Day, and The Purple Ribbon as the National Symbol Against Violence. Mrs. Brown’s attitude of “we can all do something, and should never stop trying to make a difference for crime victims,” makes her an outstanding role model for everyone. Barbara Brown and her husband, Horace, have one daughter, a son-in-law, and three grandsons, and reside in Selma, Alabama.
Sheriff Ray Norris
Sheriff Ray Norris was appointed to the Commission as the Law Enforcement representative October 14, 2011, by Governor Robert Bentley. He was elected Sheriff of Clarke County in 2010 and took office January 18, 2011. Sheriff Norris began his service in law enforcement as a member of the Clarke County Sheriff's Posse. During this time, he progressed from a Reserve Deputy, to Patrol Officer, to Chief of Police, to Deputy Sheriff K9 Officer, to investigator for the Fourth Circuit District Attorney. Sheriff Norris graduated from the Jefferson County Law Enforcement Academy in Birmingham. Because Sheriff Norris was a victim of violent crime when he was shot in 2000, he is committed to assisting other crime victims who have suffered immeasurable loss. He is active in many civic and community organizations in Clarke County and is a member of Liberty Baptist Church of Thomasville. Sheriff Norris and his wife Sharon reside in Fulton, Alabama. They have two daughters, Ali and Rachel.
Miriam Shehane
Miriam Shehane was appointed to the original Commission in 1984 for a four-year term by Governor George Wallace and was re-appointed by Governor Guy Hunt in 1988. She served until 1992 and was re-appointed in July 1993 by Governor Jim Folsom, July 1998 by Governor Fob James and July 2001 by Gov. Siegelman. She is a former banker and has worked as the Victim Service Officer in the District Attorney's Office in Montgomery and as the Supervisor of the Attorney General's Office of Victim Assistance. Mrs. Shehane's dedication to the victims' movement in Alabama has been acknowledged throughout the nation where she has been asked to speak at national conferences on victims' issues. Mrs. Shehane was one of the founding members of VOCAL, Victims of Crime and Leniency, and has served on the Board since its inception in 1982. She found out about trauma of victimization first hand when her 21 year old daughter Quenette, was murdered in 1976 while enrolled at Birmingham Southern. Miriam and her husband Edward have two children and seven grandchildren and reside in Clio, Alabama.
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Site last updated on
11/23/2011