Sergeant Michael Phillips has been a law enforcement officer for 15 years. He initiated his career in law enforcement in 2011 with the Utah Highway Patrol, serving as a trooper in Summit and Wasatch counties. In 2015, he was assigned to Executive Protection, where he provided security for Governors Herbert and Cox. In 2020, he transitioned to the State Bureau of Investigation as an agent on the Threat Management Unit at the Utah State Capitol. In this capacity, his responsibilities included the investigation of threats directed at elected officials and state physical facilities.

In August of 2024 He transitioned to a new division and is one of eight sergeants within the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Division of State Security, reporting directly to Chief Matt Pennington, the State Security Chief. In this role, he functions as a training specialist and regional representative for this division in the following counties: Daggett, Uintah, Duchesne, Wasatch, Summit and northern Utah County covering the school in the boundaries of Alpine School District, where he collaborates with Local Education Agencies and Law Enforcement within each public, charter, and private school to ensure compliance with School Safety requirements. In addition to his current assignment with the schools, he serves as a member of the Department of Public Safety Public Order Unit, a team member on the DPS/West Jordan joint crisis negotiator team, and a Task Force Officer (TFO) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).