Beatty to step down as N.C. crime control secretary

Beatty has been in charge of the department since Easley took office in 2001. The Department of Crime Control and Public Safety includes the State Highway Patrol, the Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Emergency Management Division and the National Guard.

"I'm very proud of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and the work we did over the past eight years," Beatty told the AP on Thursday night.

Beatty has been rumored to be in line for an opening on the North Carolina Utilities Commission or a state Superior Court seat, The News & Observer reported. While Beatty declined to say what his new job would be, he said he was proud of his service to the state and is looking forward to serving the citizens of North Carolina in his new position.

Beatty's tenure had its share of drama, however.

A trooper was fired last year over accusations he abducted two women and made sexual advances toward them. Another resigned after being accused of targeting young, female drivers for traffic stops. Several troopers were punished last year after being caught having sex while on duty, prompting Easley to seek an in-depth review of the Highway Patrol.

The patrol fired a trooper in September 2007 after camera-phone footage showed him kicking his K-9 partner, who was suspended from a railing. The state Office of Personnel decided that trooper, 13-year veteran Charles Jones, should be rehired and given back-pay. The patrol has appealed.