Department of Public Safety Secretary Erik A. Hooks has named Paul Sherwin to be the new director of Private Protective Services. Sherwin has been serving as that agency’s deputy director since last year. 

Private Protective Services is the agency within the Department of Public Safety that supports the Private Protective Services and Alarms Systems licensing boards. The Boards are charged with administering the licensing, education and training requirements of the persons, firms, associations and corporations engaged in private protective services and alarms systems professions within North Carolina.

Sherwin previously worked in corporate security with DHL Global Forwarding, and in law enforcement with the Norfolk Southern Railway Police Department in Raleigh; the Durham County Sheriff’s Office; and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro, Oregon. He assumes his new duties June 1.

“Mr. Sherwin has a broad range of public safety experience and has proven himself to be a real asset to our department since he joined Private Protective Services last year,” said DPS Chief Deputy Secretary Pam Cashwell. “He will help us continue our work to modernize Private Protective Services to improve its efficiency and enhance customer service.”

Sherwin is a veteran who served in the Oregon Army National Guard and the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2011, where he achieved the rank of captain and worked primarily in the infantry and field artillery branches. He completed one deployment to Mosul, Iraq, in 2008.

Sherwin received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in administration from Queens University of Charlotte.