MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
A Division Of The
Department of Public Safety
Public Information and Education Division - PO Box 568 - Jefferson City, MO 65102
NEWS RELEASE
For further information please contact: Capt. Scott B. White 573-526-6115
June 22, 2026
Q062220261
EMPHASIS: Promotion At General Headquarters
Colonel Michael A. Turner, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the following promotion effective July 1, 2026.
Lieutenant Kevin J. Hunter will be promoted to the rank of captain and will serve as the commander of the Gaming Division.
Hunter was appointed to the Patrol on July 1, 1995, as a member of the 70th Recruit Class. Upon completing his training at the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy, he was assigned to Troop E, Zone 6, Scott County. In 1999, he transferred to Troop D, Zone 2, serving Greene County. In 2004, he transferred to the Gaming Division, General Headquarters, serving the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville, MO. He was promoted to corporal on October 1, 2006. On August 1, 2007, he transferred to Division of Drug and Crime Control to serve as a member of the Explosives Disposal Unit. On June 1, 2010, he was promoted to sergeant and designated supervisor of the Explosives Disposal Unit. Hunter was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and assigned to Troop F Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO, on June 1, 2019. Hunter then transferred to the Gaming Division as an assistant director on August 1, 2022.
Captain Hunter grew up in Farmington, MO, and graduated from Farmington Senior High School in 1990. He attended Mineral Area College in Park Hills, MO, where he earned an Associate of Science degree in criminal justice, and later attended Missouri State University in Springfield. Capt. Hunter is married to Ruth Hunter.
A photograph of Capt. Hunter is posted with this news release on the Patrol’s website.