Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday announced the appointment of Warren Stanley, 56, as commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.

Stanley, who has climbed the ranks at the state’s law enforcement agency since 1982, most recently served as the department’s acting commissioner following the departure of former Commissioner Joe Farrow. Farrow accepted a position as chief of police at UC Davis last August.

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“I am extremely honored and proud to accept this appointment and serve as your Commissioner,” Stanley said in a CHP Facebook post on Friday. “I vow to continue the CHP’s long and distinguished legacy of providing Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California and lead a Department committed to earning the public’s trust every day.”

Stanley’s experience includes working as field training officer, lieutenant of the Border Division Investigative Services Unit and later commander of the California Highway Patrol Academy, the announcement said.

Before his post as acting commissioner, Stanley was the agency’s deputy commissioner and was responsible for the CHP’s day-to-day operations and its 11,000 employees, a CHP statement said.

Stanley earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles, and graduated from the FBI, National Executive Institute, a training program for the bureau’s executives and law enforcement leaders across the county.

He was raised in Merced County’s Dos Palos and was one of 12 children in his family, according to a Fresno Bee story. Stanley is the agency’s first black commissioner, the CHP said.

Brown’s appointment will need Senate approval. The commissioner’s annual salary is $258,286.08.