NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Monday he is re-appointing Mark Gwyn a third six-year term as head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The governor said in a statement that as TBI's director "Mark has dedicated his career to making Tennessee safer and his ambitious efforts have helped the TBI become a proactive law enforcement agency."
As a member of the governor's Public Safety Subcabinet, Gwyn has "helped lead the fight against some of the most serious crimes in our state, including human trafficking, meth production and gang violence and will continue those efforts to further protect our communities," Haslam said.
Under Gwyn's leadership beginning in 2004, the TBI has expanded its resources and embraced technology to enhance the agency's investigating strengths, the governor's office says.
Gwyn oversaw the creation of a Technical Services Unit that is responsible for high-tech surveillance methods, computer forensics, and investigating internet crimes against children.
He also helped establish the nationally recognized Tennessee Fusion Center which serves as a central hub of information sharing between local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and also spearheaded Tennessee's efforts to combat human trafficking,
The latter included creating a special unit to investigate cases and train law enforcement officers across the state on human trafficking issues.
Prior to his initial appointment as TBI director, Gwyn led the agency's Forensic Services Division and served as its Executive Officer. He joined the TBI as an agent in 1988. Gwyn previously served as a patrol officer for the McMinnville Police Department.
Gwyn said in a news release that he appreciates the governor's "confidence in my ability to advance our agency's mission. I'll continue to do everything possible to work with his administration and the men and women of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to fight crime and improve public safety in Tennessee.
A graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and the FBI National Academy, Gwyn completed law enforcement and leadership training at the FBI's National Executive Institute, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and the FBI's Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Program.
He has received extensive terrorism training conducted in Israel by the Israeli National Police while attending the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and in 2015 graduated from the inaugural Tennessee Law Enforcement Command College.
He serves as the president of the Board of Directors of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies and sits on the boards of several law enforcement-related organizations.