SAC Thorne-James began her law enforcement career in 1993 as a Police Officer with the Philadelphia Police Department and in 1998, joined the DEA. As the SAC of the El Paso Division, she is responsible for 50 counties in two states, covering a total of 159,284 square miles.

In addition to her current assignment, SAC Thorne-James has served the DEA at the New Orleans Division, Philadelphia Division, New Jersey Division, the Camden Resident Office, the Atlantic City Resident Office, the Belmopan Country Office (Central America), and DEA Headquarters Office of Inspections, located in Arlington, Va.. Her previous managerial roles have included Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Resident Agent in Charge, Group Supervisor, Acting Country Attaché, and Senior Inspector.

SAC Thorne-James is highly decorated and throughout her career has been the recipient of numerous national and DEA awards, to include the esteemed DEA Administrators Award of Valor, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National Bravery Award, Women in Federal Law Enforcement Julie Y. Cross Award of Valor, and the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association Medal of Valor, to name a few.

The Commander of the Special Operations Division is responsible for the implementation of the division’s service program associated with highly specialized and high risk operations. The division is responsible for the effective management and implementation of the department’s Aviation Section, Hazardous Devices Unit, Emergency Contingency Unit, Canine Unit, Mounted Unit, and the SWAT Team which includes Operators, Medical team consisting of Medics and Trauma Doctors, Techs and Negotiators. The division’s units are representative of being on the cutting edge of tactics and technology. The division is unique in that its sole purpose is to provide support to other police department components and the community.

As former Commander of the School Safety Division, he was responsible for the construction of and implementation of a newly created division designed to execute on the mission of creating safe learning environments for education campuses across Nashville and Davidson County through empowering partnerships, meaningful deterrence, collaborative education, and effective response. The School Safety Division supports all education campuses to include Pre-K, Public Schools, Charter Schools, Private Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Vocational Schools. The division is built on the premise of increasing Officer capability, training, and responsiveness to support the mission.

Email: rgolson@esc18.net

Phone: 432-567-3246

Email: ray.vasquez@esc18.net

Phone: 432-567-3218