On Friday, August 20, 2021, Lieutenant David Townsend of the Collierville Police Department was promoted to Major, the first in that rank for the Town’s police.
There was a large group gathered at the courthouse to celebrate the promotion, and many, including Mayor Stan Joyner, Alderman John Worley, Alderman John Stamps, Town Administrator James Lewellen, and Shelby County Commissioner David C. Bradford, spoke of having known Townsend over the years and knowing that he would succeed in his new role as he has done in his past roles. Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane opened the promotion ceremony by confirming that Townsend met the first requirement for his new position.
“Any time we hire or promote, we always look first at whether the person is a good citizen,” said Chief Lane. “There’s no question that David Townsend meets that requirement.”
Townsend’s involvement in the Collierville community has led him to be known as “Mr. Collierville”. He’s coached cross country running, softball and baseball; is a graduate of Leadership Collierville and has been involved with the organization in various roles since his graduation; he has volunteered with Main Street Collierville, Leadership Collierville, the Collierville Chamber of Commerce, and his church, Collierville United Methodist.
As a law enforcement officer, Townsend began his career early. Soon after graduating high school in 1987, Townsend did seasonal work as a fishing, gaming and boating Enforcement Officer at the Beech River Watershed Development Authority and worked as a Patrol Officer and Deputy Sheriff at the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department. Both of these roles lasted until 1995, when he was hired as a Patrol Officer in the Uniform Patrol Division of the Collierville Police Department.
Townsend became a Traffic Officer in the Special Operations Division in 1996. During his three years in this division, he worked in accident reconstruction, DUI enforcement, radar instruction, and management of departmental radar units and breathalyzer units. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1999, and in the years since has worked in a wide variety of divisions within the department: Traffic Unit Commander; Field Commander; 911 Communications Center Manager; Training/ Public Relations; Criminal Investigations and Administrative Division. He studied Criminal Justice, Business Administration and Police Administration at the University of Memphis, and graduated from The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in 2012.
Townsend has been recognized numerous times for his above and beyond service to the Collierville community. In 2016, the CPD gave him the Meritorious Service Medal, which is one of the department’s highest awards. In 2004, he was nominated by 25 fellow officers and then subsequently named Officer of the Year by the Command Staff. In 2019, he was awarded the H.R. Houston Community Leadership Award by Leadership Collierville.
Major Townsend’s new role at the Police Department will be administrative, and he has proven his skill in this area over the years, as he has proven his skills across the board. Supervising other police officers, coaching teenagers in cross country, or upgrading and maintaining Town-wide high tech radio systems – as Chief Lane said,
“There’s no one who has distinguished himself more, and exhibited a better work ethic for this position than David Townsend.”
Congratulations, Major Townsend!
