SEARCH is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jason Ricks, Director of the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), to the SEARCH Membership Group.
He was appointed by Utah Governor Spencer Cox effective February 14, 2024. Mr. Ricks had started in his new role at BCI on February 5 following a career that included 22 years in law enforcement and public safety.
The BCI handles services that include firearm transfers, sales and licensing, criminal history records and background checks, expungements, warrants, fingerprinting, Utah crime statistics, and more.
Mr. Ricks previously served in various capacities for the Utah Highway Patrol beginning in 1998, including patrol, motor squad, the DPS dive team, and dignitary protection, notably serving on the Governor’s Executive Protection Detail under three governors. He also served as Executive Officer to the DPS Commissioner and held various leadership roles, including the rank of Captain, before retiring in 2021. He then worked in the private sector, overseeing safety compliance for the Utah Department of Transportation.
Mr. Ricks replaces Capt. Greg Willmore as SEARCH’s Utah representative. Capt. Willmore, who served as a SEARCH Member for Utah since 2018, retired from state service in December 2023.
The SEARCH Membership Group, the governing body of SEARCH, is comprised of one gubernatorial appointee from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories, as well as eight at-large appointees selected by SEARCH’s Chair. This national body of state-level professionals is widely representative of the various disciplines within the justice system, and many are responsible for operational decisions and policymaking concerning the management of criminal justice.
