Major Garrett L. Vowell joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on January 30th, 1998, as a member of the 50th Academy. He began his career with the Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper and has promoted through the ranks serving as a Lieutenant, Captain, and now as Major.

As a State Trooper, Vowell served on the Emergency Response Team (ERT), as a Law Enforcement Driver Training (LEDT) instructor, as a Field Training Trooper (FTT), and as a K-9 handler with the Special Operations Division.

As a Lieutenant, he served as a field supervisor and as a special service supervisor. He also served as a field training supervisor, and as a counselor in OHP academies. Vowell became the coordinator over the seat belt program for the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office where he created and implemented the nationally recognized “Get Your Clicks on Route 66” seat belt initiative.

As a Captain, he served as the Impaired Driving Enforcement Coordinator for the state of Oklahoma. Vowell is a long-time highway safety advocate, receiving numerous commendations for his efforts in both Occupant Protection and Impaired Driving. During his time there, he created and implemented a division within the patrol called the Impaired Driving Enforcement Liaisons (IDEL’s). In this capacity, he created the ENDui program that conducts D.U.I. training, education, and enforcement through checkpoints and saturation patrols. Vowell also served as the commander of the OHP Training Center where he created the OHP's first-ever, annual physical fitness program. He served as the commander of Troop A, where he oversaw seven counties in and around the Oklahoma City area before promoting to the rank of Major.

Vowell currently serves on the executive board for the IACP Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Efforts) as Co-Chair, and on the executive board as treasurer for the FBINAA Oklahoma Chapter.

He is a graduate of the 279th FBINA and has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma with a minor in Criminal Justice. He also has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.