Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant will retire in June after serving the city for over three decades, kicking off a national search for his replacement, officials announced Friday.
Speaking to reporters at the Atlanta Police Department Zone 4 headquarters, the precinct where Bryant was once a commander, Mayor Andre Dickens thanked the chief for his service.
The mayor said when he took office that he would assess Bryant’s performance in his first 100 days before deciding whether to keep him long-term or search for a new chief. He spent the last few days analyzing crime, officer recruitment, retention and community policing data, and said Bryant’s retirement and timing was a mutual decision.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
“I’m standing here today to just celebrate him, and also congratulate him on his forthcoming retirement,” Dickens said.
Bryant, an Atlanta native who took the top job leading the department during a tumultuous period in 2020, thanked Dickens and said the mayor “has a very aggressive plan for the city.”
“I think that it is the right time for me to transition,” Bryant said at the press conference. “I wanted to be clear that I will support this mayor as long as I can and I’m capable, but it won’t be in the position as chief for the next 8 years.”
Dickens said he will consider both internal and external candidates, and plans to appoint an interim chief after Bryant leaves and before a permanent hire is picked.
“I’m looking for a chief that knows Atlanta, that loves Atlanta,” the mayor said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bryant served in various police department roles over the years, working his way up the ranks to become a major in 2010, a deputy chief in 2014 and eventually the department’s assistant chief. He retired from that position in April 2019 before returning to lead the city’s detention center. His salary is $206,417.
Bryant was named APD’s interim chief in June 2020 following the resignation of former Chief Erika Shields, who stepped down the day after Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an officer. Nearly a year later, he was named permanent chief by former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, as the city grappled with a spike in killings.
Bottoms said on Twitter that Bryant has the heart and work ethic “reflective of his love for our city.”
“When asked to leave the comfort of retirement, without hesitation he said, `I’ll do whatever you need for Atlanta,’” Bottoms said in the statement. “I’m eternally grateful for him.”
Last year, Atlanta saw more homicides than any year since 1996. The surge in violence made crime and public safety the top issue in the mayor’s race.
The rise in violent crime has continued into this year. The department has investigated 52 homicides since Jan. 1, up from 38 this time last year. Property crimes like robbery and car theft have gone down, and aggravated assaults have remained even. Police recruitment, meanwhile, has seen a large uptick compared to this time last year.
Dickens told the AJC last week that the homicide rate is “too high for me. Too high for our citizens.”
Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation, said the entire city has benefitted from Bryant’s 30 years on the force.
“Public servants like Rodney Bryant are a rare breed,” Wilkinson said. “Our citizens are safer and our police force strengthened as a result of his leadership as Chief.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Councilman Dustin Hillis, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, said he wants the next police chief to be “someone who is an innovative thinker when it comes to 21st Century policing and crime-fighting. And not just (saying), ‘This is the way we’ve always done it, so this is the way we’re going to do it.’”
A large-scale national search could take months, though promoting an internal candidate could be a swifter process.
”We have a very talented pool at the top of APD already if (Dickens) wants to choose someone from there to be our full-time chief,” Hillis said.
When asked what’s next for him, Bryant said: “It’s time for a true vacation.”
— Staff reporter Shaddi Abusaid contributed to this report.
Why it matters:
The leadership of Atlanta’s police department — the largest in the state — has major regional implications, as the chief often collaborates with officials across the metro and state on law enforcement strategy. APD also plans for concerts, conventions, sports championships and other major events that bring millions of tourists and metro-area residents into the city every year.
