Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant to retire
Then-interim Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant speaks to the Associated Press on Thursday, June 18, 2020. Mayor Andre Dickens announced Friday that Bryant will retire as police chief in June 2022 and a national search will be conducted to find his replacement. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Audio report by Rahul Bali.
Atlanta Police Department Chief Rodney Bryant will retire in June, according to a press release from the Mayor’s Office of Communications. Bryant joined the department in 1988 as a police officer.
“As Mayor [Andre] Dickens plans his leadership strategies for this great city, I believe it is essential that he and the city of Atlanta have a chief of police who is willing to serve throughout his term,” Bryant said in a statement.
When he took office, Dickens said 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. Dickens said he’s looking for a leader who shares his vision for the city.
“Chief Bryant has answered our city’s call time and again, and I join all of Atlanta’s residents in owing him a debt of gratitude for his steady leadership,” said Dickens. “I am thankful that the Chief agreed to stay on for my first 100 days as mayor, and I have grown to rely on the chief’s counsel during our daily meetings. We will miss the chief’s leadership as he enjoys his well-earned retirement.”
Bryant served as interim chief of police starting in June 2020 after the resignation of Erika Shields. Shields resigned after a viral video of an Atlanta police officer shooting and killing an unarmed Black man named Rayshard Brooks circulated and caused protests in the city. Bryant was named the department’s 25th chief in May 2021.
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