Col. Freddy L. Johnson Jr. was named commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol on April 7, 2021, by former Gov. Roy Cooper. A 1996 honor graduate of the State Highway Patrol Basic School, Johnson began his career as a trooper in Lumberton. He has served most of his career in the southeastern Troop B area of the state, in Robeson and Cumberland counties. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 2013 and assigned to field operations, giving him the opportunity to oversee the command and control of large-scale Highway Patrol responses to natural and manmade disasters across the state. After being promoted to major in 2017, he was assigned as director of Motor Carrier Enforcement and Special Operations. As section director, Johnson was responsible for the Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, Aviation, Motorcycle, Criminal Interdiction, Reconstruction, Canine and Hazardous Materials units.