Heart wrenching. Tears. Lumps in throats. Searching for the right words and knowing when hugs and silence work best. Sharing a prayer. Getting hit and slapped. It’s a part of the job for Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers the public never sees.
Troopers ring doorbells and knock on doors to make a “next-of-kin” death notification visit. It’s THP policy that the trooper who “works” an accident with a fatality or is involved with any incident that results in a loss of life makes the first contact with family and loved ones. It’s emotional. Every time.
Lt. Adam Bowman, a 24-year THP veteran, has made his share of death notifications, saying he’s worked more than 100 accidents with fatalities. It’s never easy, he says, and it never becomes any easier or routine, no matter who, where or the time of day and night. “It usually takes me two or three sleepless nights to get over these visits,” Bowman, 47, said. “You feel and see and hear the heartbreak, the shock, the devastation of a family losing a loved one, a person doubling over with emotional pain. They can get mad and lash out at times. Most want someone to just hold them, answer their questions and pray with them.”
Read his words about a recent notification visit: “A mother died in an accident after a two-car collision. She was pronounced dead at the scene. I helped work the accident. When I got to the home, the victim’s father was there. He was of course crushed, shocked and so sad. Then he asked me if I could tell his grandson the news, that he couldn’t do it. The kid was incredibly devastated. He and his mom were very very close. I hugged him for a long time, and we cried together. Thankfully, I had a preacher who is a trooper with me this time. There’s just no easy way to do this and every visit is different. I felt and still feel so sad for this kid. No telling what all was going through his mind and heart.”
It takes a special kind of Hero for this work. Bowman contends he’s not at all special, actually kind of boring, and just doing what he does. “I just do my job, and I go home. You must have a servant’s heart to do our jobs the right way day in and day out. You must sincerely want to help people.”
Lt. Adam Bowman
This man from Maynardville still lives in Maynardville with his wife, Jessica, a nurse, and their two children, 15 and 12. He still loves the small-town vibes of Maynardville. “The streets fold up at 9, you know your friends, and this is home. I call this place Maynardvegas,” he says laughing. In May 1994 he graduated from Horace Maynard High and left a nice legacy on its baseball field – All-District honors, All-Tournament honors and team captain in both his junior and senior seasons.
Yet he says he’s boring. “I just do what I do,” he says, but many others have noticed what he does. For example:
- He received the Tennessee Narcotics Officer Association Award for the largest crystal methamphetamine seizure in the state of Tennessee in 2014.
- Nominated for Distinguished Service Award while employed at the University of Tennessee Knoxville Police Department for disarming an armed suspect without incident.
- Led Knoxville THP District for the total number of felony arrests in four different years.
- Named Knoxville Optimist Club Trooper of the Year 2014.
- Selected for the THP Commissioner’s Leadership Academy, January 2020 to February 2021.
Today he is one of two lieutenants who direct THP operations in Knox County, supervising 12 troopers. He’s come full circle – in his first three years with THP he patrolled Knox County. He worked his home territory of Union County and parts of Knox County for 10 years, worked a year on THP’s statewide Criminal Interdiction Unit, then was assigned to Claiborne County for six years, during which he was promoted to sergeant. In April 2022 he was promoted to lieutenant when THP Col. Matt Perry pinned the bars on him in Nashville.
His THP roots began in high school when the late Trooper Mike Slagle visited his high school. “I’d always thought about being in law enforcement and when Trooper Slagle came to school, I saw him and how he talked and appeared, so neat and so professional, and his cruiser too, and I thought to myself ‘That’s what I want to do.’ I got to talk with him about being a trooper.” He’s never forgotten that conversation.
Slagle died of a heart attack on duty a few years later. “He talked to me about integrity and the professional culture within the THP and that you don’t do this work to get rich. If you do it for that reason, you’re in the wrong line of work.” He stressed career and the emphasis THP places on helping people and treating everyone with respect, Bowman said.
He’s lucky to have never suffered an injury on duty. Bowman said he’s been involved in a few vehicle crashes, but never hurt. And he’s never had to fire his weapon or received fire.
THP’s emphasis on professionalism has always resonated with Bowman. “If we can create rapport with the public in all of our different contacts and maintain the professionalism, that’s about 80% of the battle,” he said. “I can say this confidently – if we are good to people, they will be good to us.”
It’s now time to hear from THP Dist. 1 Commander Capt. Stacey Heatherly about Lt. Bowman: “Adam is an outstanding lieutenant, and we’ve worked together for many years. What makes him such a good leader is his demeanor … that ‘country’ mentality from Union County is what helps him relate with his troopers. But they know to never take his kindness for weakness.”
That kindness and demeanor Capt. Heatherly mentions permeates all aspects of his performance – including his warmth and compassion when he’s delivering the bad news of a death notification. He’s a special trooper doing special work!
Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email him at the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.