Deputy Chief Dayton Wheeler began his career with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department in 2009. Upon graduation, he worked at Hermitage Precinct as a patrol and flex officer and was a member of the Crime Suppression Unit. In 2014, he was assigned to the Specialized Investigations Division’s department-wide Gang Unit.
Promoted to sergeant in 2015, he supervised the Madison Precinct’s overnight shift and in 2016, was assigned to the North Precinct where he supervised the Crime Suppression Unit. Promoted to Lieutenant in 2019, he managed the overnight shift and four supervisors at the West Precinct. In 2020, Deputy Chief Wheeler was assigned to manage the department’s Juvenile Crime Task Force.
In 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Captain where he managed operations in the department’s Central Records Division. He was then tasked to oversee the department’s Custom Services Division, which houses the Special Events Unit and is responsible for the management of various full-scale events, citywide.
Appointed Commander of the Midtown Hills Precinct in 2022, he managed police operations within the Midtown community until his appointment to Inspector in 2024. As Inspector, he assisted with the administration and management of the Community Services Bureau. In August 2024, he was assigned to the Chief of Police office as the COP Executive Officer. In 2026, he was appointed to the rank of Deputy Chief over the Community Services Bureau and oversees all nine precincts, the Specialized Investigations Division, and the D-Detail flex team.
Deputy Chief Wheeler holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Economics and Finance from Middle Tennessee State University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety’s, School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC), and attended the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) at Boston University.
He is a member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.
