Major R. Anthony Oliver, left, relinquished command of Troop B to Major Brent M. Davison at a ceremony on Saturday in Ray Brook. (Provided photo — New York State Police)

RAY BROOK — New York State Police’s Troop B has a new commander.

Brent M. Davison was named the new commander of Troop B by Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli on Aug. 17.

Davison is the 28th commander in the troop’s 102-year history. He most recently served in traffic services at division headquarters in Albany, and was promoted to the rank of major in December.

“I’m honored and privileged to return to Troop B, where I spent most of my career,” Davison said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with the men and women of Troop B as troop commander and take the responsibility very seriously. I look forward to once again serving the people of the North Country.”

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New Commander

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Davison grew up in Mooers Forks in Clinton County. He is the second Troop B commander to have been born and raised in the North Country, according to State Police.

Davison enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989. He left active duty in 2003 and continued to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves and Vermont National Guard until 2008, where he attained the rank of master sergeant.

Davison obtained an Associate of Applied Science degree in criminal justice from Clinton Community College in 1995. Shortly after, he entered the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, working as a corrections officer until he entered the New York State Police Academy on Oct. 28, 1996. Upon graduation, Davison was assigned to Troop B.

In 2004, Davison was promoted to sergeant and assigned to Westport. Later, he transferred to Plattsburgh. In 2006, Davison was appointed investigator and assigned to the Troop B Gun Investigation Unit.

Davison briefly left Troop B in January 2008 when he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the Capital detail in Albany. He returned that May to work as a lieutenant in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the plainclothes detective branch of the state police. According to state police, cases that require extensive investigation or that may involve felonies are referred to the BCI. BCI investigators may also provide additional resources to local law enforcement during major investigations.

He attended the FBI National Academy — a 10-week-long program at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia that provides advanced training to law enforcement officials — in the 237th Session in 2009. In December 2015, Davison was appointed captain in the Division of Traffic Services. Davison returned to Troop B in August 2016, where he served as administrative captain before being assigned as the Zone 1 commander in Plattsburgh in July 2017. He returned to the Division of Traffic Services in Albany after being appointed major in December 2022.

Davison and his wife, Nikki, have several children and grandchildren. They reside in Clinton County.

Davison is also a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. A permanent deacon is a member of the Catholic church who has been ordained a cleric and shares some of the duties of priests, such as assisting at liturgies, reading the gospel and ministering charity.

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Davison’s predecessor

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Davison replaced Major Ruben Anthony Oliver, who was recently appointed as the director of training at the New York State Police Training Academy after serving for three years as the commander of Troop B. Oliver was first appointed commander of Troop B in mid-2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. Originally from New York City, Oliver entered the training academy in 1989 and was promoted to sergeant in 1999.

From 2001 to 2008, Oliver served at the Tupper Lake, Indian Lake and Schroon Lake stations. He then spent seven years serving in Troop G, which is based in Latham and covers the capital region. In 2015, Oliver was promoted to captain and assigned to the Forensic Investigation Center in Albany. He was later promoted to major in December 2018 and served as the director of human resources at division headquarters, also in Albany.

Oliver became the troop commander of Troop B on May 28, 2020 when Major Darrin S. Pitkin was appointed the commander of Troop D. In a June 2020 interview with this newspaper, Oliver cited service to the community and traffic safety as his two top priorities.

“It was the honor of a lifetime to be the Troop Commander of Troop B for the last three-plus years,” Oliver wrote on Facebook on Aug. 18. “I feel like the luckiest person on the face of the earth because very few people get to work two dream jobs … on to my next adventure as director of training at the NYSP Academy. Regardless, I will be a ‘B’ Trooper ’til the day I die. God bless the ‘Black Horse Troop.'”

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Change of command

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On Friday, Aug. 18, Troop B held a Change of Command Ceremony in which Oliver relinquished command of the troop to Davison at the State Police Troop B headquarters in Ray Brook. During the ceremony, First Sergeant Shaun Ashley passed the troop guidon — a flag that signifies a unit designation — to Oliver to symbolize the unit’s appreciation for Oliver’s guidance. Oliver then passed the guidon to Davison to symbolize passing on the leadership of the unit. Davison then passed the guidon back to Ashley to symbolize “trust and confidence in the leaders and members of the organization,” according to state police.

Davison, now at the helm of Troop B, will oversee 20 state police stations across Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence and Hamilton counties. Oliver will go on to serve at the New York State Police Training Academy.