INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, Douglas G. Carter recently recognized Major Jon E. Smithers for achieving 30 years of service to the Department and to the citizens of Indiana.
Major Smithers, who is an Indianapolis native, is a 1984 graduate of Southport High School and in 1988, he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Ball State University. On December 4, 1994, he graduated from the 51st Indiana State Police Recruit Academy and was appointed as a Trooper assigned to the Indiana State Police Post in Indianapolis where he served for 19 years. In 2000 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant at the Indianapolis Post and served as a District Squad Leader until becoming the Assistant District Commander in 2008 and the District Commander in 2011.
In 2013, Smithers was promoted to the rank of Captain and transferred to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division to serve as the Assistant Division Commander. He served in that capacity until 2017 when he was promoted to the rank of Major where he currently serves as the Commander of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.
In addition to his ISP duties, Smithers is an active member of leadership with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. CVSA is an organization made up of Federal, State and Provincial law enforcement agencies, and members of the commercial vehicle industry, across the North American continent. CVSA’s purpose is focused on improving commercial vehicle safety through consistency of enforcement and training. Smithers currently serves as a member of CVSA’s Reauthorization Task Force and is the Chair of CVSA’s Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee. He has also served terms the secretary for the Policy and Regs. Committee and as CVSA’s Region III vice president and Region III president.
During his tenure with the Indiana State Police, Smithers has been an instructor for first aid-CPR, and speed timing device operations. He has served as a member, squad leader, assistant platoon leader and platoon leader for ISP’s Central Mobile Field Force and has served as a member of the central Hostage-Crisis Negotiator Team, graduating from the FBI’s basic hostage negotiator school in 2006.
