Governor’s Restructuring Plan Streamlines Three Agencies into One Dept. of Public Safety


As part of her belt-tightening efforts to streamline state government, Gov. Bev Perdue announced this week that Secretary Reuben Young will serve as secretary of the new, restructured Department of Public Safety. The new agency will fold in the responsibilities of the current Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, which Secretary Young currently heads, and the Departments of Correction and Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The new agency is the result of Gov. Perdue’s consolidation plan, announced in December 2010, to streamline state government, to make it leaner and more responsive to citizens. The Department of Public Safety is expected to save several million dollars, in part by eliminating duplicative functions such as human resources, purchasing, training and administration.

“Reuben Young led North Carolina’s state law enforcement and emergency management communities over the past two-and-a-half years through many challenges,” Gov. Perdue said. “He knows North Carolina and is respected up and down the ranks of law enforcement. He is the right person to guide this new agency.”