Two veteran members of the Bristol Tennessee Police Department with more than 50 years of law enforcement experience between them have been promoted to the rank of major, overseeing police operations and police administration under the direct supervision of Police Chief Matt Austin.
Terry L. Johnson, who has been Captain of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) since 2014, will now serve as Major of Operations, overseeing criminal investigations and the department’s patrol division. In his new role as Major of Administration, Walter Brown will oversee training, communications, community policing and other support services. He formerly served as Captain of Support Services.
The two positions became vacant in June when Major Tim Eads announced his retirement after 27 years with the BTPD and Austin was promoted to the department’s leadership role.
“I’m very honored to be able to promote these two as the leadership team,” Chief Austin said. “I can’t say enough how proud I am to be able to stand beside them. All of us together will continuing moving this department forward from good to great.”
A Bristol native, Major Johnson joined the City in 1994 as a member of the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department. He was crossed trained in fire suppression and law enforcement under the Public Safety Officer (PSO) Program that was then in effect and officially moved to the Police Department in 1996. While overseeing the CID, he also served as Special Operations Commander in charge of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, SWAT Team, and Negotiations. He holds an associate’s degree in Police Science from Virginia Highlands Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Tusculum University, and a Master’s of Business Administration from King University. He also completed an Administrative Officer’s Course at the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville.
A veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Army National Guard, Major Brown began his law enforcement career as a corrections officer for the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and came to Bristol in 1998 as a Public Safety Officer. He served as Sergeant of Patrol for nearly a decade, then moved into the role of Administrative Police Lieutenant before being promoted to Captain of Support Services in 2018. In that role, he oversaw the daily operations of a variety of departmental divisions, including community policing, evidence, traffic enforcement, school resource officers, animal control, and the auxiliary and reserve units. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Purdue University Global and a Master’s of Public Administration from Liberty University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
For additional information, please contact Police Chief Matt Austin at (423) 989-5587.
