Atlanta Chief Retiring in June

After 34 years serving the city, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant has announced that he is retiring in June.

Bryant took the position as interim Chief of Police in 2020 after the resignation of Erika Shields over the killing of Rayshard Brooks. He was appointed to the position full-time in May 2021.

"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," Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. "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 began his service to the city of Atlanta in 1988 as a police officer. Since then, he rose through the ranks to serving as Deputy Chief, handling security at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and assistant chief overseeing the department's $188 million budget, Fox 5 reports.