FLETC Office of Public Affairs
Contact: 912-267-2447
GLYNCO, GA - After 44 years of dedicated federal service, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) Director Thomas J. Walters has announced his retirement at the end of September 2023. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas selected Benjamine “Carry” Huffman to assume the role of Director effective September 24, 2023.
Director Walters has been at the helm at FLETC since October 2017. Leading the people of FLETC in executing their mission, he has overseen all training, administrative, mission support, financial, and resource management programs, and managed over six million square feet of property on more than 5,000 acres located at FLETC’s training delivery points in Glynco, GA; Charleston, SC; Cheltenham, MD; and Artesia, NM.
Director Walters' 44-year career in Federal law enforcement includes service as a U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Agent, Border Patrol instructor, Supervisory Patrol Agent, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, and Chief Patrol Agent. He successfully completed the first U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) training session and served for over a decade as a BORTAC team member, team supervisor, unit manager, and unit leader in domestic and foreign operations. In 2004, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) selected Director Walters as the first Senior Executive Service (SES) Assistant Commissioner for CBP's Office of Training and Development. As a member of CBP's national leadership team, Director Walters also served as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner and Acting Assistant Commissioner for CBP's Office of Public Affairs.
“As they say, all good things must come to an end. It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve the American people for over four decades,” said Director Walters. “Serving as FLETC’s sixth Director has been one of the highlights of my career. I am extremely proud of the team. Not even a global pandemic could stop the tenacity and dedication of FLETC’s staff and partner organizations. FLETC is the only institution in the U.S. with the capability and capacity to train the new federal officers and agents its 125 partner agencies need to replace the thousands of officers that leave federal service in a typical year. Director Huffman and I have known each other for a long time. I assure you that FLETC will be in good hands.”
With more than three decades of service to our nation, Mr. Huffman brings with him an experience and a skillset that make him ready to serve as FLETC’s next Director. Mr. Huffman has served our nation for more than three decades. He rose through the ranks of the U.S. Border Patrol, joining the Senior Executive Service in 2014 as Deputy Chief of the El Paso Sector and ultimately becoming the Acting Deputy Commissioner of CBP and then its Acting Chief Operating Officer. He has worked to ensure the CBP frontline personnel are equipped with the resources and information they need for success and has improved the agency’s collective capacity to adapt and respond to an ever-changing environment.
“Having served 38 years with the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the connections my former agencies have with FLETC gave me an early appreciation for FLETC’s mission, its people, and their relationship with 125 federal partner organizations,” said Director Huffman. “I am humbled and honored to receive the trust and confidence of DHS Secretary Mayorkas to lead the men and women of such an extraordinary organization. I often say that I stuck around so long in my previous law enforcement career for the people, our country, and to make a difference. Care for the workforce is one of my top three priorities. Experience has taught me – when you continue to develop leaders and take care of the people, the mission benefits exponentially. It goes without saying, but integrity is also a must. As leaders, we must have unquestionable integrity. As the next Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, I will lead with the same integrity as my good friend Director Walters has led FLETC with for the past six years.”
A component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FLETC provides basic and career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. Through strategic partnerships, FLETC prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard the American people, property, and institutions.
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Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Office of Public Affairs
Contact: 912-267-2447