Lt. Col. Daven Byrd

Highway Patrol Division

In January 2025, Lt. Colonel Daven Byrd was assigned as the Assistant Director leading the Arizona Highway Patrol. Prior to that, July 2022 through December 2024, Lt. Colonel Byrd led the Technical Services Division.

Lt. Colonel Byrd began his law enforcement career in 2005 as a State Trooper assigned to the Highway Patrol Division and has since held various assignments in each of the Department’s operational and support divisions. As a State Trooper, his first assignment was patrolling the Verde Valley area of Yavapai County. In 2008, he was selected for assignment as a Detective in the Major Crimes District of the Criminal Investigations Division and relocated to Phoenix. He then completed assignments as the Department’s State Trooper Academy Coordinator, Field Training Program Coordinator, Impaired Driving Enforcement Programs Coordinator, and Sworn Professional Development Coordinator.

In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and selected to lead the Vehicular Crimes Unit. He then completed assignments as the Operations Sergeant in the Criminal Investigations and Agency Support Divisions. Additionally, he served as the International Association of Chiefs of Police Western Region Representative for the Drug Evaluation Classification Program’s Technical Advisory Panel, in which role he served as the DRE Coordinator for the western United States, Canada, and U.S. Territories. He is the recipient of the IACP DRE Section Karen Tarney-Bookstaff DRE of the Year Award and is a DRE Emeritus.

In 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as the Operational Training Commander, where he oversaw the Department’s Field Training Program, Lateral State Trooper Academy, Firearms Training Unit, Use of Force and Defensive Tactics Program, and Emergency Vehicle Operations Training. In 2018, he was assigned as the Bureau Commander leading the Information Management Bureau and as the Department’s Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and the Arizona FBI CJIS Systems Officer. In 2020, Lt. Col. Byrd was promoted to the rank of Major and assigned as the Highway Patrol Division’s Chief of Staff, a position he held until his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, when he led the Technical Services Division.

As the Assistant Director leading the Highway Patrol, Lt. Colonel Byrd commands statewide uniformed State Trooper Operations, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, the State Trooper Academy, and Capitol Operations Troopers, along with specialized support, administrative, investigative, and intelligence units.

Lt. Colonel Byrd is a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy, the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management in Policing Executive Strategic Management Program, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Public Safety, as well as graduate certificates in Project Management and Criminal Justice Education.