Maryland Gov. Hogan appoints new acting public safety and corrections secretary

Gov. Larry Hogan has appointed J. Michael Zeigler as acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Zeigler, who was previously the department’s deputy secretary for operations, is replacing former secretary Stephen T. Moyer, who left the post earlier this month for a position in Florida.

A Maryland State Police veteran of 28 years, Zeigler served as the executive director of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions in 2015, and was appointed in January 2016as deputy secretary of operations for the corrections department.

“It’s an honor,” Zeigler said of his appointment in a statement. “We will continue to move the department forward in a positive way while keeping to our mission to protect the public, our staff and those in our custody.”

Zeigler, who holds a master’s degree in business administration, began his career as a U.S. Army medic and later joined the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. In previous roles, he managed the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue internal affairs unit, served four years as assistant director at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and worked on a state police medevac helicopter as an EMT and paramedic for 16 years.

“Mike Zeigler has been an integral member of the public safety leadership team for four years, and has helped steer the mission to protect our citizens," Hogan said in a statement. "His nearly 30 years in law enforcement is a tremendous asset, and I know he will continue to move the department forward as acting secretary."

A spokesman for the public safety department did not have information WEdnesdau on the search for a permanent replacement.