At the young age of 5, Tanner Cade Boshears began sitting in his family’s driveway waiting for his dad to pull in from work. It was easily the highlight of his day. “I used to love hearing him go 10-7 every day,” he says today.

“10-7” in law enforcement code means “out of service.”

Tanner Boshears

And perhaps one day little Titan Boshears, just 10 months old, will sit in his driveway, excited and waiting on his father to come home and go 10-7. Titan’s father is Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Tanner Boshears, 28, of Troop C that patrols the three-county area of Anderson, Campbell and Scott. plus, I-75 and a slew of state and county roads.

It is the same “beat” his late father, THP Trooper Sgt. Brian Eddy Boshears, patrolled during his 26 years with the THP. His father passed away on Monday, April 22, 2013, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge due to complications from pneumonia. Son Tanner was 18 and graduated from Oneida High School a month later. To say those were tough times is putting it mildly.

Today Boshears is completing his first week at work and beginning his second week with an FTO (Field Training Officer). In late December he will be on his own in his THP vehicle with the number “1180” – the same number his father had. He credits his boss, Capt. Stacey Heatherly, Commander of THP’s Knoxville District 1, for making that happen. “It means so much to me. It’s very special and I didn’t know it was going to happen. They surprised me. Capt. Heatherly got this done and she understands what this means to me,” he said. Heatherly worked side by side with his late father in Troop C.

After high school Boshears worked a few different jobs and then moved into law enforcement. He joined the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in April 2016 and worked in the jail for three years. In 2018 he graduated from the Walters State Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy and in March moved to patrol in Scott County for four years.

But all the while and in the back of his mind was the THP.

“I wanted to be in law enforcement but I wasn’t sure where at that time. But I knew I was going to be law enforcement. It was in my blood and I knew that too,” he said. “I never considered or thought about another career. After Dad passed away, I knew I wanted to make a difference like he did.”

Then 2022 arrived. This past February he applied to the THP, was hired and on May 20 Boshears graduated from the 16-week THP Academy along with 21 others in the Cadet Class. He was the second Trooper Boshears in the THP.

“I have some big shoes to fill. I tell everyone that I have a standard that I have to attain to get to where my Dad was. My Dad loved the job … the THP … the career. Everything. I wish he were here now so we could talk about what he went through and the things I’ll be going through,” Boshears said. “He didn’t talk about the job at home and I’ll try not to as well. He was all about family at home. He loved us kids. He set a huge example for me.”

We mentioned his son, Titan. He and his wife, Stevi, also have a 6-year-old daughter, Harper. When asked about his hobbies, he mentioned two – family and golf.

He is a carbon copy of his father when it comes to the THP. “We (the THP) are different and are held to really higher standards. It’s very professional. We take pride in our uniforms and appearance and the core values are so important to all of us. I longed to be here and now I am. And you’ve got to want to be here. I’ve got a lot of things to learn and it’s challenging for sure.”

Now we’ll get back to Capt. Heatherly, who said: “… I watched Tanner grow up and I worked with his father for many years. I’ve always thought Tanner would be an excellent state trooper when he began his career at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. His father would be so proud to know his son is now Trooper Tanner Boshears.”

Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California and also worked for newspapers in Tennessee and Georgia.