Attorney General Roy Cooper filed for re-election to the state’s top law enforcement and legal post today saying his work fighting crime and protecting consumers will continue.

“We’ve tracked down criminals and uncovered on public corruption,” Cooper said. “While criminals are look for new ways to prey on North Carolina residents I will keep fighting back.”

As Attorney General, Cooper has increased the ways law enforcement makes communities safer by using high-tech tools like DNA to convict violent criminals. He’s expanded the state’s Sex Offender Registry to better inform communities about where predators live, and pushed websites to protect children from online stalkers. He’s stopped meth makers from having easy access to the drug’s key ingredient.

He has also protected consumers and legitimate businesses from con artists who trick seniors and others into bad deals. And he has fought telemarketing harassment and fraud by enforcing the Do Not Call law.

“We’ve found ways to stop repeat offenders by identifying them through DNA in ways North Carolina has never seen before,” Cooper said. “We have to keep pushing forward with ways to stop the illegal drug trade and violent crimes.”

Cooper’s work as Attorney General has been recognized nationally. North Carolina’s laws against predatory lending are regarded as a national model even as the country’s economy suffers through a home mortgage crisis. The Federal Trade Commission says he’s a national leader in fighting identity theft.

Cooper was sworn in as Attorney General in 2001 after pushing through tough crime laws and consumer protections during his 14 years of service in the state legislature.

His work as a state legislator included writing the Crime Victims Bill of Rights to give victims a say in the criminal justice system. He gave North Carolina the nation’s toughest money lending law to protect homeowners from enormous fees and unfair hidden charges. He revamped the juvenile justice system to make sentences tougher and keep troubled kids off the streets.