State police assigns new commander to Troop 7

Delaware State Police Troop 7 is now under new leadership. Capt. Glenn Dixon transferred to Troop 7 from Delaware State Police headquarters in December, when Capt. Ron Hagan transferred to the Aviation Unit, where he now serves as commander of Aviation South. Lt. Benjamin Parsons transferred from the Aviation Unit to replace Lt. Roger Willey as deputy commander in charge of traffic, and Lt. Mark Rust transferred from Troop 5 to replace Lt. Sean Moriarty as deputy commander in charge of crime. Willey and Moriarty left to serve in Internal Affairs at headquarters.

Dixon said he will continue to build on the community networking programs previous troop commanders have built and grown. For example, he is working with the Neighborhood Watch groups, business organizations and other groups to strengthen the partnerships between the community and Troop 7.

“I realize we cannot accomplish our goal of providing the safest environment possible to the citizens and visitors in our area without helping our criminal investigators at Troop 4 in Georgetown and throughout the state,” said Dixon. “We will utilize both traffic- and crime-trend data as much as possible and rely on the expertise of our investigators to assist us in preventing injuries and death on our highways, and in investigating and preventing crime,” said Dixon.

The new captain has already added a new service at Troop 7. The troop, in partnership with the Office of Highway Safety, recently launched a child-seat fitting station at the barracks on Route 1, approximately a half mile south of Five Points. The fitting station, which will be staffed by certified safety-seat technicians, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the second and fourth Thursday of each month, or by appointment by calling 853-1014.

Dixon will continue a program at Troop 7 in which one officer is designated as a in-house detective responsible for locating suspects with active warrants, following up on trends or leads and conducting traffic enforcement duties.

“I plan to lead by being accessible to all personnel at Troop 7,” said Dixon. “I enjoy the camaraderie at the troop level and believe in the team approach in solving problems. In discussions with lieutenants, I know each administrator is interested in team building and providing the best working environment possible. This can best be accomplished by listening to personnel and boosting their confidence, then remaining flexible so we can try new methods that not only benefit troop personnel but also the community as a whole.”

Dixon holds a master’s degree in career and technical education from Wilmington University, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wilmington College. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and the Delaware State Police Training Academy.

Dixon has served as the director of planning and research; director of the Video Lottery Unit; Troop 5 commander; deputy commander of the Traffic Control Section; patrol supervisor at Troop 3, Troop 4 and Troop 5; member of the Tactical Control Unit; K-9 Unit member at Troop 5; and patrol officer at Troop 5.

Criminal investigations

Rust is the deputy commander who oversees criminal-related matters at Troop 7. Rust, who holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Delaware, is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville.

Rust started his career with the state police in 1984, after graduating from the Delaware State Police Training Academy. His first assignment was patrol at Troop 7.

Rust then worked as a K-9 officer at Troop 4 and Troop 5. He then accepted posts in criminalistics, the Youth Division, Major Crimes Unit and Homicide Unit.

After he was promoted to sergeant in 1997, he moved to the Criminal Division at Troop 3 in Camden, shift commander at Troop 4 and criminal detective overseeing school resource officers and the DARE program.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 2002, when he served first as deputy commander in charge of traffic and then as deputy commander in charge of criminal-related activities at Troop 5. He then transferred to Troop 7 to serve as deputy commander in charge of traffic-related matters before moving into his current post.

Traffic investigations

Parsons was a nuclear weapons specialist in the U.S. Air Force before joining the Delaware State Police in 1998. He holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Delaware Technical & Community College and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Wilmington University.

After graduating from the Delaware State Police Training Academy, Parsons completed field training at Troop 7, then worked as a patrol officer at Troop 4. He then trained as a paramedic and joined the Aviation Unit, where he served as a line medic and ultimately became the officer in charge. He was also named the paramedic commander for the entire division.

Parsons, who trained as a combat medic, holds a private pilot’s license and is a Federal Aviation Administration-certified rescue specialist. As such, he also serves as a tactical paramedic for the division’s Special Operations Response Team. Parsons, who is the automatic-external defibrillator coordinator for the state police, has taught the following classes for the American Heart Association: advanced cardiac life support, pediatric life support, prehopspital life support and basic life support.