FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – A group of experienced current and former North Carolina law enforcement leaders want to strengthen public trust in policing and bring more professional law enforcement experience to bear in public safety discussions.
That’s why they’ve launched the North Carolina Law Enforcement Trust & Legitimacy Project.
The project’s goal is to improve public perceptions of policing, advocate for professional, accountable policing predicated on equal treatment under the law, and to push back against efforts to politicize law enforcement or advance extremist narratives around policing.
“We’re here to strengthen the public trust,” said Founding President Chris Blue, Chapel Hill’s retired chief of police. “That doesn’t mean blind support of every law enforcement act or encounter, and it doesn’t mean Monday-morning quarterbacking. It means providing context and expertise when complicated law enforcement issues enter public conversation. We will acknowledge opportunities to improve when the profession falls short of its responsibilities, and we will push back when law enforcement is attacked unfairly.”
Blue has 25 years experience in law enforcement, and he was Chapel Hill’s town manager from January 2023 until his retirement in January 2025. He chairs the NC Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and is executive director of the North Carolina Police Executives Association.
Initial project board members have similar law enforcement experience:
- Billy Clayton – 36 year NC State Highway Patrol trooper, retired as Lt. Colonel / Deputy Commander. Challenged Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson in the 2026 Republican primary.
- Celisa Lehew – Current Chapel Hill chief of police and president of the NC Police Executives Association. More than two decades of law enforcement experience.
- Mike Yaniero – Served as the Jacksonville chief of police before becoming Jacksonville’s first public safety director, retired in 2025. Past president of the NC Chiefs of Police Association, member of the NC Governor’s Crime Commission.
Media and others are welcome to reach out to board members as needed, though Blue is the project’s primary contact, and he can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
The Trust & Legitimacy Project does not intend to weigh in on every police incident or controversy. But when broader conversations arise about law enforcement policy, public safety and community trust, its members intend to be a resource for journalists, policymakers and the public.
That could include discussions about threats or violence against public officials; attempts to politically influence law enforcement; surveillance issues; incidents that strain community trust; times when agencies themselves cannot comment publicly due to an ongoing investigation; protests and civil unrest; police accountability and transparency; use of force; and other emerging public safety issues.
“We’ve spent careers doing the work — leading agencies, developing policy, managing crises and building relationships with the communities law enforcement serves,” Blue said. “And we know that, when experienced voices are left out of the conversation, or choose to remain silent, those conversations don’t stop. We want to provide context and help people consider the practical realities of police work.”
“Public safety depends on public trust,” Blue said. “And when the principles that support that trust are challenged, experienced law enforcement leaders have a responsibility to speak up.”
Learn more about the North Carolina Law Enforcement Trust & Legitimacy Project at trustandlegitimacyproject.org.