Veteran law enforcement officer Michael Register is Clayton County's new police chief.
Register had been interim police chief of the 600-employee department since June when commissioners reassigned former police chief Greg Porter to head the county’s 911 division. Clayton County Commissioners made the job permanent earlier this week at their regular meeting.
Register joined the Clayton police department several years ago with more than two decades of law enforcement experience and 22 years of military service included combat missions in Afghanistan. Register was in charge of the Clayton’s support services command which was responsible for the 911 operation as well as administrative services division and special services division. He had reported to Porter.
Prior to coming to Clayton, Register managed a law enforcement centric program at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. That program was responsible for finding individuals and criminal and terrorist organizations. He also has advised the U.S. government and police departments in New York and Los Angeles. He retired as a lieutenant from the Cobb County Police Department in 2005. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Georgia Chiefs Association.
Meanwhile, Porter has fought his reassignment saying it was a demotion and retaliation for having complained about Clayton County Chairman Jeff Turner's efforts to micromanage his decisions while police chief. Turner has denied the claim, saying Porter is the best person to run the 911 operation since he was instrumental in installing the 911's $60 million communications system.
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