Connie L. Patrick, Director, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), is pleased to announce the selection of Joseph W. “Woody” Wright as Assistant Director of the Field Training Directorate. Wright, whose appointment began on June 24, 2011, will provide oversight, leadership and direction to the FLETC’s three field sites located in Charleston, S.C.; Cheltenham, Md.; and Artesia, N.M. – from the Artesia facility. Previously Wright served as the site director in Artesia for 9 years.
Wright has been in law enforcement for the past 40 years. He began his career in 1970 as a part-time jailor/dispatcher for the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office in Truth or Consequences, N.M.; served in the United States Air Force as a Law Enforcement Specialist/Narcotic Detector Dog Handler, as a Patrol Officer/Investigator with the Breese Police Department in Illinois. Wright returned to New Mexico and served as a Deputy with the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office, and moved to Artesia and served as an Undercover Narcotics Agent, Patrol Officer and Detective for the Artesia Police Department.
Wright joined the FLETC-Artesia staff as an instructor and was later assigned as the Director of Law Enforcement Training for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was selected as the Chief of Administration at FLETC-Artesia, and subsequently the Assistant Director of FLETC-Artesia.
"Woody has gained well-deserved respect from all levels of the federal law enforcement community," said FLETC Director Patrick. “His vast law enforcement experience and outstanding leadership skills make him an excellent addition to the FLETC executive team.”
Filling the vacancy left by Wright’s promotion is John Chavers, the FLETC-Artesia site director, within the Field Training Directorate. Chavers, whose appointment began on October 9, 2011, will provide oversight, leadership and direction to staff in the Artesia, NM, site.
Chavers has previously served as the deputy assistant director, Office of Artesia Administration; division chief, Office of Artesia Training; and as the director of the Indian Police Academy. He has over 31 years of combined federal, state and local law enforcement experience, having served as a uniformed police officer, special agent/federal air marshal, and in various FLETC positions including senior instructor and branch chief in multiple training disciplines.
The FLETC trains the majority of Federal officers and agents. In addition to providing training for 90 Federal partner organizations, FLETC also provides training to state, local, tribal, and international police in selected advanced programs; graduates over 70,000 students annually; and is the largest law enforcement training organization in the country.
Headquartered on a 1600-acre campus at Glynco, near Brunswick, Georgia, the FLETC also operates facilities in Artesia, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; and Cheltenham, Maryland. The FLETC also has oversight responsibility on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security for the International Law Enforcement Academies at Gaborone, Botswana; and Bangkok, Thailand.