Three veteran state troopers who served in Lorain County receive promotions

Three veteran state troopers who have served in Lorain County recently were promoted by the State Highway Patrol. Capt. Alan Dunbar and sergeants Joran Cottom and Justin Lister are now serving in new roles, the Highway Patrol announced Friday. A former Elyria post commander, Dunbar was promoted to captain on Oct. 18. He takes over as commander of the Bucyrus District Headquarters, the Highway Patrol announced. Dunbar joined the Highway Patrol in 2007 and served at the Medina, Cleveland and Ashland posts and in the recruitment unit. He was promoted to sergeant in 2013, then to lieutenant in 2019 and assigned as commander of the Elyria post. He was promoted to staff lieutenant in 2021 and made assistant commander for the Bucyrus District. Dunbar is a six-time recipient of the Criminal Patrol Award, given for stops that result in felony investigations, and received the Ace Award for excellence in auto theft enforcement. Former Elyria post trooper Joran Cottom, who serves in the Highway Patrol's Polygraph Unit, was promoted Sept. 20 to sergeant. He will remain in the Polygraph Unit, now as its assistant commander. Cottom has been a trooper since 2000. He previously served at the Elyria, Medina, Sandusky and Cleveland posts, in the recruitment unit and in the Warren and Cleveland district investigations units. Cottom was named post trooper of the year twice, earned the Criminal Patrol Award and was made a master trooper in 2024. He earned an associate degree from Lorain County Community College in 1998. Elyria post trooper Justin Lister was promoted Aug. 23 to sergeant. He will remain at the Elyria post as assistant commander. Lister has been with the Eyria post since 2013. He is a two-time post trooper of the year, a six-time Criminal Patrol Award winner, three-time Ace Award winner and a Traffic Safety Award winner.Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.