Lt. Col. Jenna Mitchell

Agency Support Division

In July 2019, Jenna Mitchell was appointed to Assistant Director (Lieutenant Colonel) assigned to the Highway Patrol Division of the Department of Public Safety and on July 2nd, 2022, Lt. Col. Mitchell was appointed to the Assistant Director position in the Agency Support Division, where she serves currently.

Lt. Col. Mitchell began her career as an officer trainee in July of 1993. She attended the Phoenix Regional Police Academy and became a trooper in May of 1995. Her first assignment was to the Highway Patrol in District Six, Casa Grande. During this assignment she served as a field training officer, general instructor, phlebotomist, reserve coordinator, and she also coordinated the first Citizen Academy in District Six.

While assigned as a trooper in District Six, she was recognized as the District Six and Southern Highway Patrol Bureau Officer of the Year in 2000. She promoted to sergeant in 2001, and remained in the Highway Patrol in District Six, Casa Grande.

She promoted to captain in March of 2006; she was assigned to the Management Services Bureau where she was responsible for the Research and Planning Section, the Safety and Loss Unit, and the Public Records Section. She also held command assignments in the Highway Patrol Metro East District, Southern Gang Enforcement District, and the Canine District.

Lt. Col. Mitchell was recognized in 2011 as the Criminal Investigations Division Commander of the Year and was the recipient of the Director’s Unit Citation for her role in the development of the Advanced Criminal Interdiction Training Program.

Lt. Col. Mitchell promoted to the rank of major in May of 2015 and has served as the chief of staff for the Criminal Investigations Division, as well as the Agency Support Division. As chief of staff, she was involved with the implementation of major technological improvements in both divisions, with a strong focus on performance management, efficiency, and employee and leadership development.

Lt. Col. Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Arizona State University. She is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police, Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Leadership in Police Organizations Command program.