Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders has named a 1991 Southside High School graduate as the new Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Director of the Arkansas State Police.
The naming of Mike Hagar, 49, was Sanders’ first cabinet appointment.
Hagar is currently captain of Troop A of the Highway Patrol Division in central Arkansas, the largest field command in the state, and brings years of public safety experience to the job.
Hagar started as a highway patrolman with Troop B of the State Police, headquartered in Newport. He also spent time as sergeant at the Troop A training division and worked with the Executive Protection Detail, protecting the governor and his immediate family, for 14 years. In 2017, he was asked by the current director of the State Police, Col. Bill Bryant, to assume command of the Troop A Highway Patrol Division in Little Rock.
White River Now’s Gary Bridgman spoke with Hagar’s father, Jerry, a retired law enforcement officer who lives with his family in Southside, about his son’s accomplishments.
“I know there’s a lot of responsibility that will be with the job, and of course, Mike’s first priority is the public and the public’s safety,” said Jerry Hagar. “His love is with the rank and file of the State Police. He wants to make sure the troopers on the road — the highway patrol division and all the other divisions of the state — are well taken care of and that they have the things that they need to perform their duties.”
Mike Hagar is not the only Hagar in law enforcement. His brother, Jeff, 52, has been a longstanding member of the Sherwood Police Department and is now that city’s police chief. Jeff Hagar also served as a chief master sergeant in the Air National Guard before recently retiring from the Guard.
Jerry Hagar, who served in the Independence County Sheriff’s Department for 16 years and also ran for the sheriff’s office, said the family is equally proud of both sons and knows they will continue to serve the public well.
Earlier:
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders has announced her first cabinet appointments, starting with a new head of the Arkansas State Police.
Sanders, on Monday, named Capt. Mike Hagar (pictured) as her pick for secretary of public safety and as director of the Division of State Police. Hagar, a graduate of Southside High School, is currently captain of Troop A of the Highway Patrol Division, the largest field command in the state.
A press release from Sanders said Hagar has more than 26 years of service with the Arkansas State Police.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, an Arkansas State Police spokesman said the current Division of Arkansas State Police Director, Col. Bill Bryant, will retire on Dec. 31.
Sanders also said that A.J. Gary, who is currently serving as public safety secretary, has agreed to stay on as director of the state Department of Emergency Management in her administration.
Sanders was elected in November and takes office next month.
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