RALEIGH -- Bernard W. (B. W.) Collier II took the oath of office as director of the State Bureau of Investigation at the State Capitol in a ceremony attended by his family, Governor Pat McCrory and Department of Public Safety Secretary Frank Perry. The oath of office was administered by Wake County District Court Judge Ned Mangum.
“North Carolina is fortunate to have B.W. Collier lead the State Bureau of Investigation,” Governor McCrory said. “Director Collier brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the office as well as a personal appreciation for the sacrifices SBI and ALE agents make each day to protect us all.”
As director, Collier oversees more than 300 SBI and Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents across the state. Collier is the first SBI director to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the General Assembly.
"The SBI is among the elite of law enforcement agencies in this country," Collier said. "I feel honored to have this opportunity to lead the professional men and women of the bureau."
Collier spent 26 years as an SBI special agent and was the director of Alcohol Law Enforcement in 2013 before being appointed acting director of the SBI in 2014.
During his tenure with the SBI, Collier served as a drug investigator, pilot, arson and crime scene agent, canine handler, technical agent and bomb squad commander. Collier was director and special agent in charge of the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an SBI section that deals with criminal information and intelligence gathering. He was appointed director of Alcohol Law Enforcement in 2013.
Collier is a North Carolina native and North Carolina State University graduate. He served in the N.C. Army National Guard from 1983 to 1989. His mother is a retired school teacher and his father is a retired State Highway Patrol lieutenant. Collier and his wife, Ann, have two grown children.
The 2014 state budget transferred the State Bureau of Investigation from the North Carolina Department of Justice to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety where operates as an independent agency. The Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency is a branch of the SBI.
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