Texas Rangers name Jason Bobo new chief as Shiver retires

The Texas Department of Public Safety announced Jason Bobo as its new chief of the Texas Ranger Division Thursday, taking over for Chief Scotty Shiver, who is retiring from the department after 31 years.

Shiver has served as the chief of the Texas Ranger Division since February 2024. 

“Scotty Shiver has served the Texas Rangers and the Texas Department of Public Safety with tremendous dedication, and we are grateful for his years of service and leadership,” Colonel Freeman F. Martin said in a Thursday news release. 

Bobo began his career with DPS in 1999 as a highway patrol trooper, serving in that role until 2005, according to DPS. He was promoted to sergeant in the Criminal Law Enforcement Division, where he worked in both narcotics and auto-theft investigations until 2009, before joining the Texas Rangers in 2010.

“As we welcome our new chief, we are not simply passing a title; we are passing the torch of a centuries-old legacy,”Martin said. “I am confident that Jason Bobo will carry that legacy forward with the same integrity, dedication and courage that have defined this storied organization for generations.”

With Bobo’s promotion, Ranger Major Kip Westmoreland is being promoted to assistant chief of the Texas Ranger Division. 

Westmoreland, a former United States Marine, began his career with the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1998. He has served as a member of the Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team, which was established to target drug trafficking and human smuggling organizations along the Texas-Mexico border. Most recently, as a Ranger Major, Westmoreland served as Company Commander for Ranger Company A, which encompasses the 35 counties making up DPS’ Southeast Texas Region, according to the department.

Shiver began his career with DPS in 1995. In 2001, he was promoted to sergeant/investigator with the Criminal Law Enforcement Division, serving in the Motor Vehicle Theft Service in both Arlington and Houston. He also served as a member of the DPS SWAT Team. 

Shiver’s first Texas Ranger assignment was with Company C – Lubbock in 2011, and he later transferred to Company A – Houston. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2014 and, in 2017, to ranger captain, then major, to first oversee the Public Integrity Unit and then the Special Operations Group at the Austin headquarters. In November 2021, Shiver was appointed as regional director for the Capitol Region, where he served until his promotion to chief of the Texas Rangers.