East Point Police Chief Tommy Gardner is retiring after 33 years of service.

Gardner is set to retire on July 1. City spokeswoman Shannon Wiggins said Friday that no interim chief has been named and the city is still in the hiring process.

Gardner was hired June 13, 1988. He has been chief for seven years, overseeing 170 employees in the city of 35,000 residents, according to his retirement announcement. He served three years in the United States Marine Corps and is now working on a doctoral degree at Restoration Theological Seminary.

“I am blessed to be in a position where I was able to work around some of the best police officers in the state of Georgia,” Gardner wrote in his announcement.

The Atlanta native thanked city leadership and his wife, to whom his been married 26 years.

Credit: WSBTV Videos

DOJ sues state of Georgia over voting rights law

About the Author

Keep Reading

Mayor Andre Dickens (center) and city housing leaders break ground on the Civic Center redevelopment outside of the Civic Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. The Civic Center redevelopment's first phase will include 148 affordable senior housing units. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com