Governor Phil Bryant
has named Marshall L. Fisher as Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of
Public Safety (DPS). Fisher replaces Albert Santa Cruz, who is retiring on
January 31, 2017, after 43 years of service to the state. Fisher will vacate
his position as Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) Commissioner on
the same date and assume his position at DPS on February 1, 2017. Fisher’s MDOC
Chief of Staff, Pelicia Hall, will be acting Commissioner of MDOC until a
permanent replacement for Fisher is named.
“Marshall has a long and distinguished
career as a law enforcement officer, and I’m pleased that he has accepted the
position to lead the Mississippi Department of Public Safety,” Gov. Bryant
said. “His experience at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the
Mississippi Department of Corrections will serve him well, and I know he will
do an outstanding job leading the men and women who keep us safe each day.”
“Governor Bryant has honored me today
with the opportunity to lead the state's top law enforcement agency,” Fisher
said. “It is my intent to set a high bar for professionalism and transparency.
The citizens of this great state support those who protect and serve. I will
preserve their confidence.”
Most recently, Fisher has served as the Mississippi
Department of Corrections Commissioner since January 2015. He also served as
executive director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics from 2005-2014.
Additionally, Fisher has served as state director for the Mississippi Gulf
Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Throughout his career, he has
coordinated joint operations involving DEA, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi
Highway Patrol, and numerous other federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies.
He is retired from the Drug Enforcement
Administration, where he was assigned as Agent in Charge of Mississippi DEA
operations. During his tenure with the DEA, Fisher was assigned to field
offices in Texas, Kansas, Kentucky and DEA Headquarters, where he served as
section chief in the Office of Domestic Operations to Europe, Asia, Africa and
Canada.
Fisher started his career in law enforcement
as a police officer in Texas and as a parole agent in Louisiana.
He is a U.S. Navy veteran and a graduate
of the University of Memphis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal
Justice.
He and his wife, Thelma, have two sons,
Grady and Shane, both of whom work in federal law enforcement.
Fisher’s appointment must be confirmed by
the Mississippi Senate.
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