NASHVILLE – Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Mike Walker says he will step down as commander effective Wednesday, ending the Dunlap, Tenn., native’s 34-year career in state and local law enforcement.
“It has been a great ride,” Walker said in a department news release issued late Tuesday afternoon. “You can bet when I walk away from here, I will still be the biggest supporter of the Department of Safety, and especially the Tennessee Highway Patrol.”
His retirement ends a 33-year career with the Department of Safety. Prior to joining the department in 1977, he worked for a year as a Signal Mountain police officer.
Walker, 56, said he felt it was time to step down and spend more time with his family. Walker was appointed to the post in 2006 by Gov. Phil Bredesen. Bredesen leaves office in January and a number of top political appointees are beginning to leave.
Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell said Walker “has done an extraordinary job restoring the integrity and credibility of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Under his leadership, the highest standards of professionalism were expected and transparency in dealing with disciplinary issues was ensured.”
He said Walker gained the “trust and admiration of the department and his legacy will be one of tremendous respect as a state trooper and leader of the THP.”
Walker became the head of the Highway Patrol following a scandal that exposed decades-long politically influenced promotions and ultimately swept away top Safety Department leadership. Walker’s predecessor quit following revelations he had purchased a boat seized by the department. The purchase violated rules.
During his tenure, Walker backed new structures to manage investigative and disciplinary processes as well as a reformed hiring and promotional procedure designed to remove partisan meddling by governors or their staffs as well as legislators when it came to patrol appointments and most promotions outside top leadership. Those came about as a result of recommendations made by a consulting firm hired by Bredesen.
Mitchell called Walker a “true champion of safety.”
The department says Walker sharpened the patrol’s focus on highway safety. State traffic fatalities fell nearly 25 percent from 2006 to 2009, according to the state. Walker earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Award of Public Service. The International Association of Chiefs of Police national law enforcement challenge has ranked THP as the top agency twice over the past five years and in the top-three two times during that period.
After a 35 percent decline in large truck related traffic fatalities, the THP also received 2009 Commercial Vehicle Safety awards from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Walker joined the patrol in 1977 as a trooper in Marion County. He later served as a supervisor over five counties, coordinated THP security at the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition on the Ocoee River. He became administrative lieutenant in the THP’s Chattanooga District and was named captain over professional standards in 2003.