Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the retirement effective May 1, 2024, of Lieutenant Thad M. Wilson, acting director of the Governor’s Security Division, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO. Lieutenant Wilson retires after nearly 29 years of dedicated service.
Wilson joined the Patrol on July 1, 1995, as a member of the 70th Recruit Class. After completing his training at the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy, he was initially assigned to Troop E, Zone 1, Butler County. Three years later, on August 1, 1998, he moved to Troop E, Zone 12, in Fredericktown. In 2005, he transferred to serve Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties within Troop E, Zone 12. Wilson earned a promotion to corporal on August 6, 2006, and took on the role of assistant zone supervisor for Troop E, Zone 8, which covers Pemiscot and New Madrid counties. On August 26, 2007, he joined the Governor’s Security Division at the General Headquarters in Jefferson City. He was promoted to sergeant on February 1, 2010, and to lieutenant on July 1, 2017, subsequently becoming the assistant director of the Governor’s Security Division.
Lt. Wilson was born in Prospect, KY, and graduated from Oldham County High School in Buckner, KY, in 1988. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice from the University of Louisville in 1993.
