
MEET THE TEAM

DAVID McGRIFF
David N. McGriff, Sr. served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security in November of 2016.
While in this position he was top advisor to Commissioner David W. Purkey and was responsible for managing the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Driver Services Division, and Office of Homeland Security. McGriff also supervised the administrative functions in the divisions of Internal Audit, Budget, Fiscal Affairs, and Talent Management.
McGriff previously served as interim Deputy Commissioner for the department in early 2011 and as a consultant from July 2013 through March 2014. He later rejoined the department as Chief of Staff in January of 2015 overseeing the day to day operations of the department.
McGriff has an esteemed 44-year career in law enforcement. He began his law enforcement career as a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department for the District of Columbia in 1969. He then joined the Memphis Police Department as an officer in 1974.
Prior to joining the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, McGriff spent more than six years as the director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (WTDTF), as well as the Chief Criminal Investigator for the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Prior to that, he was the deputy director for the West Tennessee Drug Task Force from 2001 to 2007. Additionally, McGriff worked as a task force supervisor for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and criminal investigator for the District Attorney General for the 30th Judicial District.
McGriff is a veteran of the United States Marine Corp. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and member of the FBI National Academy Association in addition to the Metropolitan Area Chiefs of Police Association.