Arizona DPS Director Announces Retirement, Replacement Named

PHOENIX, AZ — Arizona's Department of Public Safety director, Colonel Frank Milstead, is set to retire, governor Doug Ducey announced in a release Monday. Milstead is retiring on April 3 after directing the department for 6 years.

Before joining the DPS, Milstead worked for 5 years as police chief in the Mesa Police Department and 25 years in the Phoenix Police Department in the homeland defense, major offender and traffic bureaus.

"For the last 35 years, I’ve had the honor of working with Arizona’s finest women and men in uniform, and because of that I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in public service," Milstead said in a prepared statement. "I’m grateful to Governor Ducey for the honor and privilege to serve as DPS director, and I’m thrilled that my friend and colleague, Heston Silbert, will have the opportunity to lead this fine agency."

Lieutenant Colonel Heston Silbert will take over as the department's director starting April 4.

According to the release, Silbert has worked in Arizona law enforcement for more than 31 years, spending 10 in command-level leadership roles.

Silbert's career began in the City of Phoenix Police Department in 1989. He later worked as the assistant chief of police and executive officer at the City of Mesa and deputy director at Arizona Department of Public Safety.

"For the last 31 years, it has been my honor to serve the citizens of the State of Arizona and work with the most remarkable people in United States law enforcement," Silbert said in a statement. "It is my goal to continue to lead and work with the exceptional people at the Arizona Department of Public Safety as we collectively strive to provide the most exemplary law enforcement services to all those who live in or visit our state."

Milstead and Silbert have worked together since 2015 to increase accountability, trooper relations, public affairs, communications, financial management and professionalism, the release stated. Their efforts resulted in a 28-day review system that audits the department on a monthly basis.

Results of the review system, according to the release, include:

• Reducing "use of force" incidents, while arrests have increased, through the implementation of courteous professionalism standards
• Eliminating court delays caused by late reports filed by the Department by establishing efficient operating principals
• Eliminating the concealed weapons permit backlog of over 15,000 applications through lean management principals and reducing processing time from 52 days in 2018 to 3 days in 2019
• Improving school bus driver certification processing, thereby reducing the application processing time from an average of 45 days in 2015 to one day in 2018
• Eradicating a significant crime lab backlog of over 10,000 cases
• Decreasing the time needed to clear traffic collisions from 23 to 13 minutes.
• Implementing strategic recruitment strategies, resulting in hiring diversity increasing from 22% to 44% in new recruit classes

The two also led development and operations of Ducey's Arizona Boarder Strike Force in 2015.