FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 23, 2024

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Jill Del Greco: 614-644-0957

Governor DeWine Issues Statement on Death of Former Ohio Department of Public Safety Director and
Ohio Inspector General?Thomas P. Charles?

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)?Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued the following statement following the death of former?Ohio Department of Public Safety Director and longest-serving Ohio Inspector?General Thomas P. Charles.?

?Fran and I are saddened to learn of the death of?Tom Charles. Tom was?a dedicated public servant. He spent?more than?31 years in?the?Ohio State Highway Patrol, serving in numerous leadership capacities up to his service as Lieutenant Colonel.?Following his retirement from the Patrol in 1994, he went on to become Ohio?s longest-serving Inspector General from 1998-2011. He also served as Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety from 2011-2013 and worked as an advisor to JobsOhio to oversee and ensure ethics compliance in the state?s privatized economic development agency.?

?Simply put, Tom?s?commitment to public safety?and integrity in government service was unmatched.?

?Fran and I extend our deepest sympathies to Tom?s wife, Brigette, and to his family and friends.?

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