Blog: Restoring Honor and Integrity to the N.C. Highway Patrol

Statement

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is known nationwide as an elite law enforcement agency -- and this reputation was earned over more than 80 years of service and dedication to the state. Those who wear the uniform represent honor, dignity, courage and respect. They have been looked upon as role models and leaders for decades.

Today, their reputation is suffering from the misdeeds of a few. The good name of the State Highway Patrol has been dishonored by a few bad apples.

Though we may not like it, the old saying applies here: perception is reality. It's time to change the perception of the Patrol and reform the Highway Patrol in the image of the trooper's oath:

On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust.

I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for their actions. I will always uphold the constitution, my community and the agency I serve.

On Wednesday I joined CCPS Secretary Reuben Young and Colonel Randy Glover to address all 160 Patrol supervisors from across the state. My message to them was simple -- I know that 99.9% of troopers do their jobs with integrity. I know that the majority of the Highway Patrol serve with honor. But from this day forward, there will be zero tolerance for illegal or unethical behavior. If a trooper betrays this oath, he will be dismissed. And I called upon the secretary and the colonel to reorganize the agency to better reflect these goals.

I have laid out four priorities for change in the Highway Patrol:

1) All troopers will go through ethics training and will sign a code of conduct;
2) All supervisors will go through ethics and management training;
3) The Patrol code of conduct and oath will become the litmus test -- betray the oath and you will be dismissed; and
4) Within the next 60 days, Secretary of Crime Control Reuben Young and Highway Patrol Commander Colonel Randy Glover will deliver to the governor a plan to restructure Highway Patrol leadership.

My expectations were made clear and I am encouraged that we will be able to restore the luster to the image of the Highway Patrol. These dedicated public servants, who work hard, train hard and put their lives on the line daily for the people of North Carolina, deserve better from their fellow troopers.

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