EXCLUSIVE: Georgia’s public safety commissioner resigns, discusses timelines and regulatory requirements – WSB-TV Channel 2

ATLANTA – Outgoing Georgia Public Safety Commissioner Chris Wright spoke exclusively with Channel 2 Action News about his time in office.

Col. Wright, speaking to Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne, said he knew immediately when he took charge of the Georgia State Patrol, the Motor Carrier Compliance Division and the Capitol Police that he would be in the midst of COVID and a spike in crime occurred both in the city and elsewhere and that there would be challenges.

He said he was brought in at a crucial time for the agency and that Gov. Brian Kemp asked him to come up with a plan.

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“We formed the anti-crime unit on his instructions. It was his baby, it was his idea, it was his idea,” Wright said. “And we’ve seen some tremendous success.”

Wright said the men and women of the crime-fighting unit have arrested about 900 wanted people.

“They arrested about 38 murder suspects and recovered 700 stolen vehicles,” Wright told Channel 2 Action News.

The outgoing commissioner entered the office at a time of unrest that he said the state patrol played a major role in responding to, including the area of ​​the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

When he started, Wright said he came to get to the bottom of an alleged cheating scandal at the trooper school, which turned out to be false.

“We got it right, and that was important to me because it affected a lot of kids’ lives,” he said.

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Wright said the GSP worked with the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, Post, which investigated the matter. Of the 32 recruits discharged, all but one were acquitted of fraud, and 19 later became soldiers.

“I’ve been blessed with my career, I started as a radio operator, I was the first commissioner to hold every single rank within the agency,” Wright told Channel 2 Action News.

Perhaps his unique experience in law enforcement gives him a unique qualification for what the State Patrol needs in the future. He started working as a radio operator in 1995.

Although he says he is grateful that his officers have received a total of $11,000 in raises over the past two years, increasing competition for a dwindling pool of applicants means salaries must continue to rise.

The outgoing commissioner also said the latest pension plan doesn’t do enough for employees or help keep good people on staff.

“The current 401K retirement plan doesn’t anchor people. After five years, they can contribute to the 401K retirement system and take it with them wherever they go,” Wright said.

Wright praised the governor for his support in efforts to move from an aging public safety headquarters where the water was unsafe for decades to a shiny new, state-of-the-art building that recently opened.

He said his second interview with Kemp for the commissioner job came when he mentioned the man with whom he had a relationship for more than 20 years.

“I shared with him that I had a partner and that I didn’t want this to be a problem for him and the organization, and he looked at me and said, ‘I already knew that.’ That’s not a problem for me,'” Wright said. “It was a very pivotal moment for me because I felt like the state and the state government had really started a new chapter.”

Wright said the state of Georgia is diverse and full of opportunities for people “no matter who you are” and no matter what your background, “as long as you were willing to roll up your sleeves, work hard and have integrity.” “And that Do the right thing,” you will succeed.

The former commissioner said he believes a good leader prepares someone to take his place and he is pleased that some of the people who helped him succeed as commissioner are now stepping up because of his retirement.

Wright’s successor William Hitchens III. will take office as the new commissioner on Sunday.

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