From the News & Observer of Raleigh:
Five key members of former Gov. Mike Easley’s state Highway Patrol security detail have been reassigned to typical trooper duties, officials said Thursday.
The shakeup involves the head of the detail and others who had handled assignments with the Easley family in recent years, including accompanying them on overseas trips and a fishing trip to Florida last year.
The action was ordered by Gov. Beverly Perdue in recent days to reduce the number of troopers assigned to protect the governor, patrol officials said. The detail now numbers about 20 people. Some troopers who had worked with Perdue while she was lieutenant governor have stayed with her as she ascended to the governor’s office.
As governor, Perdue has taken a different approach than Easley regarding security. She has flown twice to Atlanta on Delta airlines, for example, without any troopers accompanying her. She also took a Caribbean vacation without security. Records and interviews show that Easley did not travel without troopers and that his wife, Mary, took security on European trips.
