Longtime Troop D patrolman, Lt. George Knowles, retiring

(From the Missouri State Highway Patrol)

Lieutenant Colonel Eric T. Olson, assistant superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol announces the following retirement effective March 1, 2019:

Lieutenant George F. Knowles, assistant director of the Division of Drug and Crime Control, General Headquarters, Jefferson City, MO, retires after more than 33 years of dedicated service.

Knowles was appointed to the Patrol on September 1, 1985, as a member of the 57th Recruit Class. After graduating from the Patrol's Law Enforcement Academy, he was assigned to Troop G, Zone 3, Howell, Oregon and Ozark Counties.

In 1989, he transferred to Troop C, Zone 14, Ste. Genevieve and Perry County. In 1993, he transferred to the Division of Drug and Crime Control. 

Over the next 26 years while assigned to this division, Knowles was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and lieutenant in the Troop D, Springfield, MO, and the Troop I, Rolla, MO, areas. 

While serving in the Division of Drug and Crime Control, Knowles served on the board of directors for COMET Drug Task Force, South Central Drug Task Force, and Springfield Victim Center. He is also a past president of the Missouri Polygraph Association. 

Knowles transferred to Troop D, Springfield, MO, on January 1, 2009, to serve as a staff lieutenant. In December 2009, he returned to the Division of Drug and Crime Control as an assistant director. It is from this position he retires.

Lt. Knowles was born in Hollywood, FL, and graduated from Wayne County High School in Jesup, GA, in 1977. He later attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, where he majored in religion. In 2013, he completed the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership In Police Organizations training. Lt. Knowles and his wife, Camille (Bischoff), have two grown sons.