W.M. Coppage
Former Director of Public Safety
3/2003 - 11/2006
Colonel W.M. “Mike” Coppage became the Department of Public Safety’s 26th director upon his appointment in March 2003, by Governor Bob Riley.
A law enforcement professional with more than 30 years of experience, he joined DPS following his retirement from the Birmingham Police Department. Throughout his service with that department, he progressed through the ranks, serving in a series of progressively responsible assignments that took him from patrol officer to chief of police.
Coppage earned the bachelor’s of science degree in criminal justice and the master’s degree in public administration from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to joining the Birmingham Police Department, he served with the U.S. Army as a military police officer and criminal investigator (CID). He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Executive Institute.