NASHVILLE --- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Matt Perry have announced the promotion of Jimmie Johnson III to Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson has demonstrated his passion and devotion to the Tennessee Highway Patrol throughout his 25-year career.

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Johnson will oversee the agency’s Field Operations Bureau. Johnson was previously promoted to Captain of the Tennessee Highway Patrol Memphis District in 2016. Prior to his promotion, he served as Troop Lieutenant over Shelby, Fayette, Haywood, and Hardeman Counties. He also served as Troop Sergeant in Shelby County before being transferred to Crockett and Lauderdale Counties. He was selected to serve as the Memphis district’s evidence custodian while being stationed in Haywood County from 1997 to 2007. He completed six years in the United States Marine Corp before beginning his career with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnson is a 2003 graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, a 2015 graduate of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s Commissioner’s Leadership Academy, a 2016 graduate of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute, and earned a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership from The University of Memphis.

“Lieutenant Colonel Johnson has proven himself over two and a half decades with the Tennessee Highway Patrol,” said Colonel Matt Perry. “He exemplifies what it means to be a leader. I am confident that he will continue to serve the THP with professionalism and pride.”

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.