The Raleigh Police Department has announced that Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr., retired Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS), will join the agency as Deputy Chief of the Administrative Services Division beginning January 5, 2026.
Buffaloe brings more than three decades of law enforcement, public safety, and administrative experience to Raleigh. As state public safety secretary, he oversaw more than 21,000 sworn and civilian employees as well as 13,000 soldiers and airmen of the North Carolina National Guard. His oversight included juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Office of Violence Prevention, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management, where he worked to guide statewide responses to major events, including Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Buffaloe’s previous leadership roles span city, county, and state government. He has served as interim city manager and director of the Elizabeth City Department of Public Safety, police chief, sheriff’s office leader, and correctional officer with the North Carolina Department of Corrections. He is a former president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, a ten-year veteran of the North Carolina National Guard, and a law enforcement instructor for the North Carolina Training and Standards Commission.
He was appointed NCDPS secretary in 2021 by then-Governor Roy Cooper. During his tenure, the department faced scrutiny, including a 2024 audit citing insufficient procedures to ensure proper use of Hurricane Florence recovery funds and ongoing issues with the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency…