Longtime law enforcement leader Jeffrey Smythe has been appointed as North Carolina’s secretary of public safety, Gov. Josh Stein said Monday. Smythe will replace Eddie Buffaloe, who plans to retire from the position on Dec. 31.
Smythe, a former Burlington police chief, is the director of the state Department of Justice’s criminal justice education and training standards division — a role to which Stein appointed him in 2021, when Stein was state attorney general.
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“I’ve seen firsthand what a great leader and dedicated public servant Jeff is, and I look forward to continuing to partner with him to create a safer North Carolina,” Stein said in a statement.
Smythe began his career as a police officer with the Arizona State University Police Department in Tempe, Arizona. He holds an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and a master's degree from Northern Arizona University. He has also completed executive leadership development programs at Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the FBI National Academy.
Buffaloe is scheduled to retire as secretary of public safety on Dec. 31. He will then will join the Raleigh Police Department as deputy chief for the administrative services division. Smythe will take over as secretary on Jan. 1.
Buffaloe has served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety since 2021. Before serving as secretary, he served as a law enforcement officer for 30 years, including time as director of the Elizabeth City Department of Public Safety. He also worked in a sheriff’s office, as a correctional officer, and as a law enforcement instructor. He also served as President of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police.
“Eddie Buffaloe has dedicated his career to keeping North Carolinians safe,” Stein said. “As secretary of public safety and homeland security advisor, he has led our state through moments of tragedy and disaster and kept us fixed on our mission of building safer communities.”