Gov. Wes Moore has appointed State Sen. Michael A. Jackson as the acting superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police , his office announced Friday afternoon.

The governor’s office announced the move as Col. Roland Butler, Maryland State Police ‘s existing superintendent who made history as the first African American in the department’s history to hold that position, will be retiring Nov. 1. Jackson, 61, will take the helm Nov. 12 as Lt. Col. Daniel C. Pickett will become the agency’s interim superintendent.

Appointed by Moore as the state police’s superintendent in March 2023, Butler is stepping down after a law enforcement career spanning more than three decades.

“Colonel Roland Butler is a true public servant in every sense of that phrase, and our state is safe

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