TOWSON  – The State Senate confirmed the appointment of Stephen Moyer, a Maryland native with a distinguished 24-year career with the Maryland State Police, as the next Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Moyer, 54, formerly served as deputy chief of the Sarasota Police Department in Florida and expressed excitement about returning to Maryland, where he served as a Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Secretary with the State Police and also as Deputy Secretary with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Gov. Larry Hogan nominated Moyer for the position last month.

“It feels wonderful to come back and be part of the Hogan team,” Moyer said. “Governor Hogan has a great vision for the state.”

Moyer will be taking over one of the largest agencies in the state government with close to 12,000 employees and a $1.3 billion annual budget. The married father of two sons comes from a family with a law enforcement tradition.

Moyer’s father, Theodore “Ted” Moyer, was a retired State Police major who served as sheriff in Harford County. Moyer is a born and bred Marylander who grew up in Edgewood.

Before joining the Sarasota force in 2013, Moyer was security director for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore managing a security detail that protected 6,000 hospital employees and 18,000 weekly visitors and patients.

“Our loss is the state of Maryland’s gain,” Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said. “This is a prestigious appointment and honor for him.”