Eddie L. Washington, Jr.

Eddie L. Washington Jr. provides leadership for police, security, and emergency preparedness functions as executive director of U-M’s Division of Public Safety and Security. He is a former director of the Michigan State Police who has worked as a Homeland Security policy advisor for U-M and senior security policy advisor for Dow Chemical Co.

He began his career with the Department of State Police in 1984. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm appointed him to the cabinet-level position of director of the Michigan State Police in 2010. As director, he also served as state director of Emergency Management and as Michigan’s Homeland Security director. Prior to his appointment as director, he served as deputy director of the Michigan State Police and commander of its Field Services Bureau for two years. In this capacity, he was responsible for the management of the department’s largest bureau, which includes two regions encompassing seven districts and 64 posts, as well as the Criminal Investigation Division, Traffic Safety Division, and the Special Operations Division.

Previous assignments include serving at the Bridgeport, Detroit, and Ypsilanti posts, as well as in the Human Resources and Training divisions. From 2003-05, he served as first lieutenant and commander of the Governor’s Security Section. In 2005, he was promoted to inspector and assistant first district commander where he was responsible for aiding in the administration of eight posts in the lower mid-Michigan region. In 2006, he was promoted to captain and commander of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, where he is credited with the creation of the state’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Desk and the formation of the nationally recognized Michigan Infrastructure Coordinating Committee.

He holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Wayne County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from William Tyndale College. He has completed the Executive Leadership Program offered by the Naval Postgraduate School and is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, as well as the 218th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va..

Washington chaired the Michigan Homeland Protection Board, the Michigan Public Safety Interoperability Board, the Auto Theft Prevention Authority, and the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center Advisory Board. He was also a member of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.