2008 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Colonel W. Fletcher Clay, Class of 1978

N.C. Highway Patrol Commander Fletcher Clay, a graduate of the DCCC Criminal Justice program, was named as the DCCC Distinguished Alumni. He is shown with Dr. Mary Rittling, DCCC President.
“Colonel Clay is a dramatic example of just how far one can go with a two-year associate degree from DCCC,” said Dr. Mary E. Rittling, president of DCCC.

Clay heads the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a statewide law enforcement agency with 2,300 state employees including 1,820 Highway Patrol troopers. He was appointed to the top post in 2004 by Governor Mike Easley, having worked his way up through the ranks.

He was hired as a trooper at age 20 just after graduating from DCCC where David Grice, the Davidson County Sheriff, was one of his instructors. In his top post, he manages a $200 million budget and is in charge of traffic regulation on North Carolina highways, among many other responsibilities.

“I came to DCCC with the goal of joining the Highway Patrol, and it has been a very rewarding career for me,” Clay said. “I think my time spent at DCCC prepared me well for the basic training and duties of a trooper.”

Clay is a firm believer in the value of higher education. Over the years, the Highway Patrol has become more competitive in selecting troopers from its applicant pool. Higher education is preferred but not required, he explained.

“We encourage four-year degrees and two-year degrees. We have some troopers who have their master’s degrees and some with just a high school diploma. We offer an educational assistance program to help them pay for their higher education once they join us,” Clay said.

He stresses the need for professionalism to members of the Highway Patrol. “I get satisfaction watching troopers go about their duties in a professional, sophisticated manner. It can be a very rewarding career, and it is a good public service job. It is one of the professions that still has a solid retirement plan and benefits.”

He encourages troopers to take advantage of many continuing education opportunities as he, himself, has done over the years. He graduated from the Administrative Officers Management Program at N.C. State University in 1991, a rigorous program that includes graduate level courses.

Clay is a member of many professional law enforcement associations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the N.C. Police Executives’ Association. He was named as the “Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer” in 1988 by the Raleigh Jaycees.

The son of a Highway Patrol trooper, Clay grew up in Jamestown where he graduated from Ragsdale High School in 1976. After graduating from DCCC and completing Highway Patrol basic training in 1979, Clay was assigned to Troop C, District III in Raleigh, where he still resides with his family.

He was first promoted to Line Sergeant in 1990, First Sergeant in 1993, Lieutenant in 1996, Captain in 1999, and Major in 2002. Governor Easley appointed Clay as the 22nd Patrol Commander in July 2004, the number one position in the state.

The Highway Patrol is responsible for ensuring the safety of the driving public as they traverse 78,000 miles of North Carolina roadways. Clay counts among his proudest career accomplishments that there were fewer collisions on the highways of North Carolina between 2004 and 2006.

“Safety is one of the main goals of the Highway Patrol,” Clay said.

As someone who has had the somber duty of delivering death messages to families, Clays says watching traffic fatalities decline is extremely satisfying. “Enforcement decisions are data driven. Troopers focus on high accident problem areas. When 100 lives are lost each month in traffic accidents, to see this figure decrease is our number one goal.”

Clays explained he is proud that the state has not lost a trooper since he became patrol commander in July 2004. “We have had some injured, but we have not lost one. I am thankful for that.” Clay says his agency offers the services of 46 volunteer chaplains across the state who are available to help during stressful times.

When he is not working, Clay enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He serves as a member of the following boards, commissions and committees:

• The State Emergency Response Commission
• North Carolina Education, Training, and Standards Commission
• The Governor’s Crime Commission, Criminal Justice Improvement Committee
• The State Interoperability Executive Committee (Chair)
• The Executive Committee for Highway Safety, (Vice Chair)