Alpharetta Public Safety Director To Retire

ALPHARETTA, GA -- The city of Alpharetta is currently in the market for a new public safety director.

Gary George, who has held the post since August 2001, has announced his plans to retire at the end of January, the city said Thursday.

During his time with Alpharetta, George led the merger of the city’s police, fire, communications and emergency services into a unified public safety department. That reorganization put the city "on the forefront of public safety services in Georgia and greatly streamlined the agency by reducing administrative staff in favor of more police and firefighters on the streets serving citizens," the city noted.

“Under Gary’s leadership, we consolidated our police and fire departments, engaged our constituents, shortened our emergency response times and achieved the highest and best fire service rating possible,” Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle added.

City leaders also point to numerous statistics and awards as proof of the director's positive impact on the community.

Alpharetta’s fire service is one of only 136 agencies in the nation to hold an ISO 1 rating and boasts a cardiac “save rate” that is 18 percent better than the national average.

In 2015, the Department of Public Safety was named the agency of the year by the Georgia Chapter of the FBI’s National Academy Associates. In 2016 the department was the first in Georgia to implement a text to 911 service, and its 911 center became one of only 167 such operations in the world to be accredited as a Center of Excellence by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch.

“Gary’s legacy will be hard to follow, but he leaves a strong public safety organization filled with solid professionals who will continue to faithfully serve our citizens," Belle Isle continued.

City leaders have begun a nationwide search for the next public safety director and anticipate making a selection by December.

Photo: Gary George. Credit: city of Alpharetta