Frederick L. Thomas began his career in Louisiana at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office in 1989 as Sheriff Deputy assigned to Corrections. He later transferred to Uniform Patrol after completing the Louisiana State University Basic Law Enforcement Academy. Nineteen years later, in February of 2008, Lieutenant Thomas was promoted to the rank of Captain commanding the Scotlandville Substation. He served as Commander of Scotlandville for more than 10 years before transferring to command the Gardere Substation; he is now back at the Scotlandville Substation.
Frederick Thomas is a U.S. Military Combat Veteran who retired after 26 years of service with the Louisiana Army National Guard. In serving his country in support of “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Thomas earned the Combat Action Badge.
On August 4, 2021, Thomas was sworn in as the 44th President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), an organization of Professional CEOs and officers in the field of law enforcement.
Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Grambling State University in 1989. Later, in 2013, he earned a Master of Science degree in Law Enforcement Corrections from Southern University A&M College. He has been the recipient of numerous commendations and awards, including the Professional Excellence Award and Unit Citation Award. Captain Thomas also completed certificate programs at both the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command and the Police Executive Research Forum, Senior Management Institute for Police. In 2018, he graduated from Leadership Baton Rouge; a professional development-training program made up of diverse participants trained to take on community leadership positions. Thomas also served on Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ COVID-19 Task Force and served on Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Western Broom’s Racial Inclusion Task Force.
In addition to NOBLE, Captain Thomas is currently an active member of 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Baton Rouge, Ltd., Magnolia Peace Officers Association, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the International Association Chief of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the American Criminal Justice Association Lambda Alpha Epsilon.