(Carolina Journal) – Ethics compliance, potential conflicts of interest, and a history of progressive policing policies of Jeffrey Smythe are under review by a North Carolina General Assembly panel ahead of a Senate confirmation hearing.
Smythe, former police chief in Burlington, was picked by first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. He was appointed to lead after after Eddie Buffaloe’s retirement. He also has a seat on the City Council in the Alamance County community.
The Department of Public Safety oversees major state public safety functions, including prisons, emergency management, the State Highway Patrol, and local agency coordination.
In a May 15 letter to Smythe, Republican Sens. Danny Britt of Robeson County, Warren Daniel of Burke County and Buck Newton of Wilson County said the committee is undertaking a review of “ethics compliance and conflicts of interest” connected to his nomination. The senators cited Smythe’s simultaneous service as acting secretary of the department and as a member of the Burlington City Council.
Smythe pushed back in a May 22 response, telling the senators that the State Ethics Commission had been made aware of his Burlington City Council role and “determined that my service on the council does not create a conflict of interest.” Smythe also said he had discussed potential conflicts with his general counsel and that no conflict had arisen to date.
“Should I be confirmed, I am fully prepared to take all appropriate action to address any conflict of interest that may arise, up to and including resignation from the Burlington City Council if a conflict cannot be avoided,” Smythe wrote. “My priority remains serving all North Carolinians as secretary of the Department of Public Safety.”
The exchange comes as Smythe’s nomination moves toward Senate review and as lawmakers have begun receiving letters of support from police leaders across the state, according to materials reviewed by Carolina Journal. Those support letters point to Smythe’s decades in law enforcement, his tenure as Burlington police chief, and his work overseeing law-enforcement standards at the Department of Justice.
Taken together, the ethics letter, Smythe’s response, and the need for expressed support highlight two core conflicts at the center of his confirmation: whether Smythe can serve effectively as both a local elected official and a state public-safety chief, and whether his record aligns more with mainstream law enforcement or an activist-driven policing agenda post-2020.
In a statement attributed to Stein’s office provided to Carolina Journal, Smythe was defended as the right person for the job.
“Jeff Smythe is a second-generation law enforcement officer who has dedicated nearly four decades to protecting people,” the statement said. “As Burlington’s police chief, Smythe brought drug traffickers to justice, worked to break up gangs, and took illegal and stolen guns off our streets. His commitment to public safety as police chief impressed the governor when he was attorney general, so he hired Smythe to direct the Criminal Standards Division at the Department of Justice. There, Smythe dramatically reduced the time it took for law enforcement officers to get certified and managed the unit well. Governor Stein was proud to appoint him the secretary of Public Safety and looks forward to continuing to partner with him to keep North Carolina safe.”
But the same record Stein praised includes several episodes likely to become flashpoints during confirmation, particularly for lawmakers skeptical of racial-equity initiatives, identity-based training, and activist-driven police reform.
Senate Republicans told the Carolina Journal that Smythe’s record raises broader questions about the department’s direction.
The confirmation process now places Smythe’s full record before senators, who will decide whether his background represents steady law-enforcement leadership or a record too closely aligned with activist-driven criminal-justice policy to lead North Carolina’s top public-safety agency.
