Governor DeWine Names Benjamin Suver as Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor Mike DeWine yesterday announced that he will name Ohio Department of Public Safety Assistant Director Benjamin Suver to be the interim director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Suver replaces Andy Wilson, who becomes Ohio Attorney General on June 7.

“Ben Suver has held a number of important law enforcement positions for the state of Ohio including Assistant Director of Public Safety and Special Agent in Charge at the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation.  I am confident that Ben will be a great leader of this important department.  Ben has a passion for making sure our citizens are safe and that law enforcement has the tools and skills they need to serve and protect,” said Governor Mike DeWine.  

Since August 2024, Suver has been the Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. In this role, Suver oversees the daily operations of DPS and its ten divisions. 

He joined DPS in January 2019 as the Director of Law Enforcement Initiatives and helped to establish two of the Governor’s priority initiatives: the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center and the Ohio School Safety Center. 

Suver has over 30 years of experience in the criminal justice field, including a 14-year career at the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) where he served as Special Agent in Charge. At BCI, he supervised investigative operations for the southern district, which included special investigations, crime scene, narcotics, and crimes against children plus five statewide units: Environmental Enforcement, Forensic Accounting, Polygraph, Heroin, and Cyber Crimes. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office as Special Agent in 2005, Suver served as a Detective with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office for over nine years.

Suver holds several degrees and certifications, including a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from Antioch University (McGregor) and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University.