Commissioners
Commissioner D. Lance Davenport
Commissioner D. Lance Davenport is a graduate of Weber State University where he completed both an Associate and Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. He is also a 2003
graduate of the FBI National Academy, session 212. He joined the Utah Highway Patrol in 1984 and served in several assignments during the past 22 years.
He began as a field trooper in Millard and Cache Counties. He later joined the Executive Protection Unit where he worked until being promoted to field sergeant in 1990 in Salt Lake County. In 1993, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Protective Services and Executive Protection. He transferred to field operations in 1997.
Commissioner Davenport was promoted to captain in 2001 and assigned to the Criminal Investigations and Technical Services Division where he managed the State Bureau of Investigation. In 2003, he was reassigned to the UHP as a bureau commander with responsibilities for fleet, field and special operations sections and grant management. In January 2006, he was promoted to assistant superintendent and oversaw the UHP budget, fleet, all UHP grant applications, field and vehicle safety sections, and headquarters administration.
In August 2006, Colonel Davenport was appointed as the superintendent of the UHP. and on January 22, 2009 he was appointed Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety.