Colonel Warren H. Davies took the reins as the 11th superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol on January 21, 1994, capping a 27-year career in which he distinguished himself as a dedicated and talented administrator.

An August 1966 graduate of the 71st Academy Class, Colonel Davies is the first superintendent to have received training in the division’s current Training Academy. As a trooper, he served seven years at Elyria, where he was honored as Post and District Trooper of the Year in 1972. He later held the position of assistant post commander at Canfield, and later at Massillon, at the rank of sergeant.

Colonel Davies received his first command assignment in April 1977, when he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Delaware. At the rank of staff lieutenant, he was an assistant district commander at Massillon and Columbus, and as a captain, he commanded the Cambridge and Massillon districts.

After extensive experience in all aspects of field work, Colonel Davies transferred to general headquarters as a member of the Office of Field Operations. He later transferred to the Office of Investigative Services where he attained the rank of major in June 1990.

Colonel Davies was appointed superintendent on January 19, 1994.

Under the capable management of Colonel Davies, the Patrol continued to make aggressive enforcement the centerpiece of its efforts to increase safety on Ohio roadways. An overall increase in traffic arrests, coupled with a high level of visibility was responsible for a six percent decrease in rural traffic fatalities. Allowing Ohio, one of the eight most populated states with the fewest number of troopers, to maintain its downward trend in traffic deaths.

Planning and implementation of technological advances designed to improve officer safety and service to the public continued to move forward. The Patrol’s project to upgrade its radio system to a multi-agency, 800 MHz system will allow for greater coordinated efforts between agencies as well as heightened officer safety. A new digitized records storage system has significantly improved customer service by reducing the amount of time required to obtain a copy of a crash report from 10 days to not more than two days.

Traffic and Drug Interdiction Teams (TDITs) realized continued success in stemming the flow of illegal drugs through Ohio, seizing narcotics worth millions of dollars during the course of normal traffic stops.

Under the direction of Colonel Davies, the Patrol increased its efforts to reducing crashes on Ohio roadways and providing the highest level of public assistance. This, and the effort to maintain the best trained and equipped force in the nation, continued to guide the Patrol into the 21st century.

Colonel Davies retired from active service on February 28, 1997, after over 30 years of distinguished service.

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