From 2013 to May of this year, Smythe served as the Burlington Chief of Police, where he led a department of 139 sworn officers, 41 professional staff, a combined police/fire dispatch center, a regional SWAT team, and a county-wide drug task force. As chief, Smythe implemented initiatives focused on de-escalation, reduction of use of force, duty to intervene, addressing implicit bias, and mental health and addiction support. He also serves in a voluntary role as a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which establishes public safety best practices for professional conduct across North America or at the international level. Previously, he served as a board member and vice president for the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. Smythe began his career as a police officer with the Arizona State University Police Department in Tempe, Arizona. He received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice studies from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in education from Northern Arizona University. He’s also a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the FBI National Academy. The Criminal Justice Standards Division is part of the Department of Justice and carries out the work of the Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. The Commission adopts standards and topics for training and certification for all sworn police officers, correctional officers, probation/parole officers, juvenile justice officers, and juvenile court counselors in North Carolina, and reviews individual violations of the rules.