STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
Vermont State Police to hold Change
of Command Ceremony
MONTPELIER, Vermont (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) — The Vermont
State Police will hold a Change of Command Ceremony at the Statehouse in
Montpelier next month as Col. Matthew T. Birmingham passes leadership of the
agency to Lt. Col. Shawn Loan.
The event begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the House
Chambers of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. Gov. Phil Scott, Public
Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison, Col. Birmingham and Lt. Col. Loan will
deliver remarks. The ceremony also includes a formal transfer of agency
leadership and the administration of the Oath of Office to the new director.
Col. Birmingham leaves the state police after more than 28
years of service and is the agency’s second-longest-serving director. Gov.
Scott and Commissioner Morrison announced the appointment of Lt. Col. Loan
earlier this month. A 19-year veteran of the state police, Lt. Col. Loan will
be promoted to colonel upon becoming director.
The Vermont State Police’s top command staff also includes
Maj. Ashley “Skip” Barnes as Criminal Division commander, Maj. Steven Coote as
Field Force Division commander, and Maj. David Petersen as Support Services
Division commander.
Members of the media who plan to attend the Change of Command
Ceremony should RSVP by email to VSP’s public information officer, Adam
Silverman, at adam.silverman@vermont.gov.
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