Nashville, TN – Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Tracy Trott announced personnel changes to the Command Staff.
Lt. Colonel Danny Wilson, who has overseen the THP’s Support Services Bureau for the past five years, will retire from the Tennessee Highway Patrol on September 1st. Lt. Col. Wilson is a 34-year veteran of the Highway Patrol. A native of McLemoresville, Wilson joined the THP in 1977 as a Road Trooper assigned to Dickson County in the Nashville District. He also served as a Road Trooper in Davidson County for several years before being assigned to the Governor’s Security Detail in 1984.
“Lt. Col. Wilson has done a great job as a leader in our organization over the last five years. The Highway Patrol has benefited from his professionalism and his service. He will be greatly missed, but we thank Lt. Col. Wilson and wish him the best in his retirement,” said Commissioner Gibbons.
On August 1st, Major Dereck Stewart will be promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel over the Support Services Bureau. Major Stewart has served as Executive Officer to the Colonel since September 2010. Prior to his promotion to Major, Stewart served as Captain overseeing the Research, Planning & Development Division. Stewart also served two years as Captain in the Office of Professional Responsibility and as a Lieutenant and Sergeant in the Training Center from July 1995 to January 2007.
Stewart was commissioned as a Trooper with the Highway Patrol in December of 1987, serving in Montgomery County. Stewart serves as the Emergency Service Coordinator for the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. He is a 1997 graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, and a 2009 graduate of the FBI National Academy.
“For the past 10 months, Major Stewart has been my right-hand man, assisting me in the day-to-day operations of the Highway Patrol. This experience, along with the many other accomplishments throughout his career, has prepared him for this new leadership role,” said Col. Trott. “Major Stewart is an asset to the Highway Patrol and will help us grow and become an even better law enforcement agency in the future,” Col. Trott added.
