DSP Lt. Col. Melissa A. Zebley Named Superintendent Of Delaware State Police

On July 9, 2020 Governor John Carney joined Kimberly Chandler, Acting Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security, to announce the appointment of Lt. Col. Melissa A. Zebley as Superintendent of the Delaware State Police.

Lt. Col. Zebley, 50, assumes command of the State Police following the retirement of Col. Nathaniel McQueen Jr. Lt. Col. Zebley, a 28-year veteran of the State Police, is currently responsible for Internal Affairs, Information Support Services and Planning. She joined the Executive Staff in 2010 at the rank of Major with oversight of the Budget, Training Academy and Human Resource sections. In 2013, she transitioned to the role of Operations Officer overseeing New Castle County Patrol Troops and Criminal Investigations, as well as the statewide Traffic Section. Her former assignments include patrol Trooper, Training Academy Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Public Information Officer, Fiscal Executive Officer, and Troop Commander.

Lt. Colonel Zebley has also served as the Officer in Charge of the Honor Guard and as a member of the Division’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team.

“Lt. Col. Zebley has a tremendous track record of leadership at the Delaware State Police, and is the right person to lead our largest police agency” said Governor Carney. “A 28-year veteran of the State Police, Lt. Col. Zebley has the trust of community leaders not only in New Castle County, but up and down our state. I know she will build on the good work of Colonel McQueen to keep Delaware safe and continue to establish trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Thank you to Lt. Col. Zebley for taking on this important challenge.”

“Having served in almost every leadership position within the Delaware State Police, Lt. Col. Zebley not only possesses the qualifications, skills and experience to lead the State’s largest police agency but has also earned the respect of her fellow troopers and the Delaware law enforcement community. She has demonstrated the temperament, demeanor, and wisdom necessary to navigate the challenges in policing today and is committed to serving the citizens of our State, said Acting Secretary Chandler.

“I am humbled and honored to serve as the 26th Superintendent of the Delaware State Police. I thank Governor Carney and Acting Secretary Chandler for their faith in me to lead this division of professional and dedicated members. I pledge to serve with the dignity and honor befitting the high standards of the agency,” Lt. Col. Zebley said. “The Delaware State Police remain steadfast in our mission of service to all citizens and will continue on our course of community collaboration and progressive policing.”

Lt. Col. Zebley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science degree in the Administration of Justice from Wilmington University. She is also a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and a graduate of the 235th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy. In addition, she is a graduate of the Anti-Defamation League’s Advanced Training School course on Extremist and Terrorist Threats and is currently attending the 43rd Session of the FBI’s National Executive Institute.

Lt. Col. Zebley is an instructor for the Delaware Leadership Development Program, a three-week school targeted for first line supervisors. Since 2003, she has served as an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington University, teaching in the undergraduate and graduate Criminal Justice Programs.

Lt. Col. Zebley is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, Mid-Atlantic Association of Women in Law Enforcement, and the FBI National Academy Associates. She was the 2015 Chapter President of the FBINAA Maryland/Delaware Chapter. She is currently the Chair of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Law Enforcement Standing Committee.

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