James "JP" Barnes

Retired State Trooper with more than two decades of public service in commercial motor vehicle enforcement, hazardous materials response, and law enforcement instruction. Served with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from January 2003 through February 2021, following earlier service with the North Carolina Department of Transportation as a Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer. Throughout his career, he specialized in commercial motor vehicle intrastate rules and regulations, motor carrier enforcement, crash investigation, and post-crash inspection. He was extensively involved in hazardous materials operations, serving on the NC State Highway Patrol Haz-Mat Team and holding certifications as a Hazardous Materials Technician, Radiological Specialist, and Explosives and Haz-Mat Instructor. He is MERRTT/T-MERRTT certified and served as both an instructor and evaluator in multiple emergency response disciplines. His instructional background includes serving as an Incident Command System Instructor, Law Enforcement Ethics Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Concealed Carry Instructor, and General Instructor. He holds CVSA Level I, II, III, and VI certifications and served as a CVSA Field Training Officer and Field Evaluator. He also served on the Colonel's Advisory Board, contributing to policy, training standards, and operational guidance. Earlier in his career, he served as a Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer with NCDOT from February 1999 to January 2003. In that role, he conducted size and weight enforcement, served as a Field Training Officer, and acted as an agent for the United States Department of the Treasury and the North Carolina Department of Revenue on motor fuel tax evasion investigations.