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The Newsroom

Carolina Public Press series on 'wandering officers,' and a conversation with State Auditor Dave Boliek

By Benjamin Schachtman
Published April 3, 2026 at 12:02 PM EDT

On today's show, Lucas Thomae from Carolina Public Press talks about 'wandering officers,' who are fired or resign under suspicion — only to pop up at another agency later. And a conversation with Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek about his vision for the office, applying AI to government audits, and his promise to keep politics out of the job.

Recently, Carolina Public Press published "Stray Cops," a three-part series by Lucas Thomae, looking at 'wandering officers.' The series looks at some of the most concerning examples, some of the systemic reasons the issue persists, and some ways the problem could be addressed.

You can find Thomae's reporting here:

Plus, the audio version of WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman's interview with State Auditor Dave Boliek. We previously ran a profile-style version of this interview in our Sunday Edition newsletter, which you can find here: Catching flounder is easy. Transforming government efficiency is hard.

The Newsroom
Benjamin Schachtman
Ben Schachtman is a journalist and editor with a focus on local government accountability. He began reporting for Port City Daily in the Wilmington area in 2016 and took over as managing editor there in 2018. He’s a graduate of Rutgers College and later received his MA from NYU and his PhD from SUNY-Stony Brook, both in English Literature. He loves spending time with his wife and playing rock'n'roll very loudly. You can reach him at BSchachtman@whqr.org and find him on Twitter @Ben_Schachtman.
See stories by Benjamin Schachtman