J.D. Sanders

SPI Consultant J.D. Sanders has a long history of success in the fields of education and public safety. His 30-year career stretched across five cities and four states. For 22 years, he served as either a Chief of Police or a Director of Public Safety. He was a recognized leader, and his record revealed an aptitude for pushing organizations to loftier performance standards.

After initially joining the Martin Tennessee Police Department and progressing up the ranks, J.D. was named Chief of Police and then later became the city’s Director of Public Safety. After that he served as Chief of Police in the cities of Columbus, Mississippi, and Hobbs, New Mexico, in addition to the communities of Memorial Villages, Texas. In each of these positions, J.D.’s successful leadership depended on building relationships with both public and private-sector citizens and stakeholders as well as other public officials.

J.D. served as the two-term President of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and FBI National Academy Associates. He also served on the boards of the National Law Enforcement Innovation Center, National League of Cities, and the Appalachian and Southwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs). He has served as an adviser to Gov. Susanna Martinez and U.S. Senators Bill Frist, Fred Thompson, and Lamar Alexander.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Tennessee and completed training coursework at the FBI National Academy, Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS), and the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement.