‘Wandering officers,’ forced out only to be rehired elsewhere, have a high rate of further misconduct. Current NC policies don’t track or prevent this. Solutions are possible for agencies and NC policymakers.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers who have lost their jobs due to misconduct in North Carolina have ended up working for other agencies. These “wandering officers” have a high rate of further misconduct, including sometimes criminal and violent actions, resulting in harm to public safety, cost to taxpayers, increased liability for agencies that hired them and decreased public confidence in law enforcement. Record keeping and officer certification procedures in North Carolina, as well as pressures on smaller agencies, make this issue complex. Some reforms haven’t worked as intended. Even so, a few agencies have shown ways forward that avoids these mistakes. Changes in state policies and laws are also possible. Stray Cops is a three-part investigative series from Carolina Public Press, publishing March 23-25, 2026. CPP provides North Carolinians with trustworthy, in-depth reporting that holds power to account. We deliver independent, investigative news coverage of the topics that shape our state and local communities. Rather than just telling stories about the powerful, we tell stories that empower the public.
Follow OuR three-part Investigation
‘Wandering officers’ widespread across NC police agencies
Limited data makes wandering officers hard to count in NC, but CPP identified nearly 700 current cops whose previous agencies fired them.
How NC fails to track and prevent ‘wandering officers’
Decertifying wandering officers isn’t automatic. Some law enforcement agencies reluctant to share records. Some aren’t cautious in hiring.
Changes to NC policies and laws could reduce hiring of ‘wandering officers’
A few changes from NC policymakers and legislators could reduce hiring of law enforcement officers with serious misconduct records.
Resources
Contributors
This series is produced by the news team of Carolina Public Press.
- Reporting by Lucas Thomae.
- Project illustration by Mariano Santillan.
- Infographics by Lucas Thomae.
- Photos by Lucas Thomae and Frank Taylor in addition to some provided photos.
- Editing by Frank Taylor.
Funders
The ongoing work of Carolina Public Press, including this reporting project, is made possible through grant support from the Dogwood Health Trust, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Press Forward, as well as generous contributions from our many donors.
We are also pleased to invite platinum, gold, silver and bronze level sustaining sponsors for the Stray Cops project, whose support will help sustain the curation of the project on our website. Send an email to [email protected] to learn more about our sponsorship program. Sponsors may be organizations or individuals.
We welcome additional support from readers like you. Please consider sending us a donation and/or becoming a sustaining member to help fund this work that makes our state stronger. CPP is a wholly independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
