Office of the Commissioner
Commissioner Robert L. Quinn is the fourth Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Safety.
The Office of the Commissioner consists of the Commissioner and two Assistant Commissioners, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Executive Council. The Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners serve coterminous four-year terms.
The Commissioner of Safety provides executive leadership and direction to the Department, and all seven divisions report directly to the Commissioner.
Duties of the Assistant Commissioners are divided, and include overseeing Department facilities, the Information and Analysis Center, Project Management and the Department's Legal Unit, Strategic Department Operations, Personnel Management, Strategic Communications Administrator/Public Information Officer, Office of Highway Safety, the Bureau of Hearings and labor relations as a member of the Governor's Collective Bargaining Team for management.
The Assistant Commissioners also serve as the Department's liaisons to the New Hampshire General Court, where more than 350 bills that affect public safety are filed in the Legislature in a typical year.
Related Resources
Commissioner Quinn
Robert L. Quinn is the Commissioner of the Department of Safety.
Commissioner Quinn was nominated by Governor Christopher T. Sununu and confirmed by the Executive Council in April 2019.
The Commissioner represents the public interest in the administration of the Department of Safety and is responsible to the Governor, the General Court and to the public for such administration.
Commissioner Quinn joined the New Hampshire State Police in 1985 as a State Trooper and was appointed as the Director of the New Hampshire State Police in 2010. As State Police Director, with the rank of Colonel, he oversaw enforcement of criminal, motor vehicle, and other public safety laws, and the regulation of detective agencies and security services as governed by law.
In 2016, he was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Safety where he managed department operations, oversaw the Bureau of Hearings, Department of Safety Prosecutor's Office, the legal unit, and the Office of Highway Safety.
Commissioner Quinn graduated from Merrimack College in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration. In addition, he earned his Master of Science in management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2019. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Unit Commander's Academy and the FBI National Academy, both located in Quantico, Virginia.
In 2015, Commissioner Quinn was inducted into the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Hall of Fame. The following year, in 2016, he was named DEA/DARE Law Enforcement Executive of the Year.
In 2021, he was honored as a "Champion for Mental Health" by Riverbend Community Mental Health, a private nonprofit organization that provides specialized behavioral health services in central New Hampshire.
Assistant Commissioner Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards is Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Safety.
Assistant Commissioner Edwards was nominated by Governor Christopher T. Sununu, and confirmed by the Executive Council on March 3, 2021.
Prior to joining the Department of Safety, Assistant Commissioner Edwards served as Chief of Police for the Town of South Hampton and was the Director of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission's Division of Enforcement & Licensing.
As Director, he led the Enforcement Division to become New Hampshire's first state-wide law enforcement agency to receive the distinction of Advanced National Law Enforcement Accreditation. He established New Hampshire's first state-wide DWI Mobile Command Unit and served as the Chief Administrative Alcohol Prosecutor, as well as the primary Regulatory Drafter.
In 2008, he was recognized as one of the Top Forty Leaders in NH Under Forty by New Hampshire's State Chamber of Commerce-Business and Industry Association, and the NH Union Leader. In 2023, Assistant Commissioner Edwards received the "Seacoast Good Scout" award from the Boy Scouts of America, Daniel Webster Council. The award honors leaders from the greater seacoast area who serve as role models for Scouting’s youth.
Assistant Commissioner Edwards holds a Master of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University, a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Northcentral University, and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy as well as the Harvard University Kennedy Business School of Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies.
Assistant Commissioner Edwards is a Navy veteran and continues to be active in his community by volunteering as a board member for military veteran non-profit organizations.
Assistant Commissioner Lavoie
Steven R. Lavoie is Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Safety.
Assistant Commissioner Lavoie was nominated by Governor Christopher T. Sununu and confirmed by the Executive Council on March 22, 2023. He was sworn in by Commissioner Quinn on April 3, 2023.
Previously, Assistant Commissioner Lavoie served as Director of the Department of Safety’s Division of Administration. He also served as a financial auditor for the State of New Hampshire Legislative Budget Assistant from 2007-2011.
Prior to joining the State, Assistant Commissioner Lavoie held multiple financial and administrative roles in the private sector and has experience in nonprofit work, higher education and public accounting. He has a Master of Science in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Rivier University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in New Hampshire and also holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation.
