Gov. Phil Bredesen swore David Mitchell into office as Tennessee’s new Director of Homeland Security on Tuesday in the State Capitol.
"I would like to thank General Humble for his service to the people of Tennessee and offer David Mitchell a warm welcome to my cabinet,” Bredesen said. “As governor, one of the most important duties I have is keeping our state and its people safe from harm, and I am proud to share this mission with David Mitchell. I know his experience and talent will prove vital as we work to achieve the highest levels of emergency preparedness and coordination in Tennessee.”
Mr. Mitchell’s FBI career spanned 26 years across the nation and globe.
Mr. Mitchell in 1982 served as a member of the country’s first Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City. The Task Force was recognized for successfully dismantling a number of domestic terrorism organizations, and he later served as supervisor of the agency’s Domestic Terrorism Unit at FBI headquarters in Washington.
In 1990, Mr. Mitchell was appointed to supervise three FBI offices in Georgia, where he worked to enhance a partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement to enhance the agency’s national strategic plan. Later, serving as an Assistant Special Agent in New Orleans, he helped to resolve the forceful takeover of a Louisiana jail.
After two additional years of service at FBI headquarters, Mr. Mitchell moved to Wisconsin, where he oversaw all FBI investigations and operations as the state’s Special Agent in Charge. There, he expanded the agency’s Infraguard Program, developing a new partnership between local businesses and government agencies. He enhanced the information sharing networks employed by the state’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and Cyber Crimes Task Force and in 2003 was selected to lead a team of 70 agents and forensic specialists investigating international terrorist bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“The people of Tennessee are really the eyes and ears of law and safety enforcement, and our security efforts depend on the participation of everyone in this state,” Mr. Mitchell said. “Tennessee’s Homeland Security agency will lead this effort by maximizing disaster training and preparedness and by facilitating greater information sharing and coordination among government agencies, businesses and citizens.”
Before joining the FBI, Mr. Mitchell served as a patrol officer and detective with the Murfreesboro Police Department and as an instructor for the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. He was discharged honorably in 1969 from the United States Army after a tour of duty in Vietnam. Mr. Mitchell, a Shelby County native who now lives in Williamson County, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University. He completed graduate work at MTSU and in 2004 graduated from the Kellogg School of Management and Leadership at Northwestern University. He is married with two children and five grandchildren.