The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) proudly announces Jason Bobo as the new Chief of the Texas Rangers Division (TRD), a promotion confirmed on Thursday, Aug. 27, by the Public Safety Commission (PSC) during its meeting at DPS Headquarters. Jason Bobo takes over for Chief Scotty Shiver, who is retiring after 31 years of dedicated service with the department.
“Scotty Shiver has served the Texas Rangers and the Texas Department of Public Safety with tremendous dedication, and we are grateful for his years of service and leadership,” said Colonel Freeman F. Martin. “As a Texas Ranger myself, I know the responsibility that comes with wearing that badge. The Rangers are more than an iconic symbol of Texas — they represent a legacy of service, courage and commitment that stretches back more than two centuries. Today, as we welcome our new Chief, we are not simply passing a title; we are passing the torch of a centuries-old legacy. I am confident that Jason Bobo will carry that legacy forward with the same integrity, dedication and courage that have defined this storied organization for generations.”
Scotty Shiver, Former Chief, Texas Rangers Division
Chief Scotty Shiver has served as the Chief of the Texas Ranger Division since February 2024. He began his career with DPS in 1995. His first assignment was with the Texas Highway Patrol in Navasota, and he later transferred to Huntsville. In 2001, Shiver was promoted to Sergeant/Investigator with the Criminal Law Enforcement Division, serving in the Motor Vehicle Theft Service in both Arlington and Houston. He also served as a member of the DPS SWAT Team.
Shiver’s first Texas Ranger assignment was with Company C – Lubbock in 2011, and he later transferred to Company A – Houston. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2014. During those years, Shiver also served as a member of Special Response Team-5 (SRT), SRT-2, and then as the Lieutenant Coordinator, Precision Rifle Coordinator and Team Leader for SRT-5. In 2017, he was promoted to Ranger Captain, then Major, to first oversee the Public Integrity Unit and then the Special Operations Group at Austin Headquarters. In November 2021, Shiver was appointed as Regional Director for the Capitol Region, where he served until his promotion to Chief of the Texas Rangers.
Shiver earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas at Arlington, a Master of Arts in Security Management from the American Military University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Class #276. He has been married for more than 25 years and has one daughter.
Jason Bobo, Chief, Texas Rangers Division
Jason Bobo brings more than two decades of investigative and law enforcement experience to his new role as Chief of the Texas Ranger Division. Bobo began his career with DPS in 1999 as a Highway Patrol Trooper, serving in that role until 2005. He was then promoted to sergeant in the Criminal Law Enforcement Division, where he worked in both narcotics and auto theft investigations until 2009. In 2010, he joined the Texas Rangers, where he has since served in a variety of leadership and investigative capacities.
He previously served as the Team Leader for Company “F” Crime Scene Team, Bobo was a long-standing member of the Texas Rangers Major Crime Scene Investigation Team and the division’s Crime Scene Working Group, where he contributed to statewide training, policy development and the implementation of advanced investigative techniques. He was named Ranger Assistant Chief in August 2025.
He is a certified crime scene investigator through the International Association for Identification and a graduate of the University of Tennessee’s National Forensic Academy. Bobo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Police Science from Sam Houston State University and is certified as a Master Peace Officer and Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Basic Instructor.
With Bobo’s promotion, Ranger Major Kip Westmoreland is being promoted to Assistant Chief of the Texas Ranger Division.
Kip Westmoreland, Assistant Chief, Texas Rangers Division
Kip Westmoreland began his career with the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1998. Westmoreland first served in the Texas Highway Patrol in Alvin, the DPS Narcotics Service in Houston and Rosenberg and then as a Texas Ranger in Eastland, Richmond, Tyler, Austin, Garland and Houston.
Westmoreland has served as a member of the Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team, which was established to target drug trafficking and alien smuggling organizations along the Texas-Mexico border. As a Ranger Captain, he was responsible for planning tactical missions along the international border and leading the team that operated the state’s Border Security Operations Center (BSOC) in Austin. Most recently, as a Ranger Major, Westmoreland served as Company Commander for Ranger Company A, which encompasses the 35 counties making up DPS’ Southeast Texas Region.
Westmoreland served in the United States Marine Corps and is a 2017 graduate of the DPS Command College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Bobo and Westmoreland will be stationed at DPS Headquarters in Austin. Both appointments are effective Sept. 1, 2026. Please join us in congratulating these individuals.