Governor Pat McCrory named Frank L. Perry Secretary of the Department of Public Safety on Aug. 21, 2013. As Secretary of DPS, Perry oversees a department of more than 26,000 sworn law enforcement and civilian employees, along with 11,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers. Perry is the state’s Homeland Security Advisor, and in this capacity has DPS personnel assigned to nine federal task forces that combat a multitude of public safety threats from violent crime to terrorism.

Before his appointment as secretary, he was the commissioner of the department’s Division of Law Enforcement. Prior to that, Perry obtained extensive law enforcement experience serving 23 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent and senior level supervisor. He retired from the FBI as head of the Raleigh/Durham FBI Office.

A North Carolina native, Perry was educated at Wake Forest University and the University of Miami. He holds a doctorate in ethics and political philosophy.