Decatur City Commission appoints Scott Richards as police chief
City of Decatur Police Chief Scott Richards, on left, and Sgt. John Bender talk with children during STAR Afterschool Program’s annual “Say No To Drugs” egg hunt at Ebster Park on Friday, April 15, 2022. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission, at its April 18 meeting, confirmed the appointment of Scott Richards as the police chief for the city of Decatur.
The city conducted an extensive national recruitment process after former Police Chief Mike Booker retired. Booker served as the police chief for 15 years. Upon his retirement, Richards served as the interim police chief and was appointed to that role in April 2021.
Richards began his career as a police officer with the City of Decatur in 1994 and has served with distinction in various capacities throughout his tenure. He served as deputy police chief starting in 2016 prior to being appointed interim police chief. Richards received a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Georgia State University and a Master of Public Safety Administration from Columbus State University, according to a press release.
“It’s been a long road in law enforcement for the 28 years and certainly during this last year,” Richards said at the meeting. “I’m looking forward to being the police chief, looking forward to working with [the city], looking forward to working with our staff to address the needs of the police department going forward and also looking forward to working with the community, reestablishing some of the relationships that during this COVID-19 situation that’s been affected, and also looking going forward to establish new relationships with the community as well and be able to establish trust with the community.”
City Manager Andrea Arnold said she is confident that Richards will listen and engage with everyone to serve the community well.
“Our department attracts a special type of officer, a special type of employee where intelligence, empathy and humility are some of our fundamental values. Scott represents these values,” Arnold said.
Mayor Patti Garrett said, “The city commission is excited for the police department and our community to have Scott Richards at the helm of the Department. He has been instrumental in shaping the culture of the Department that practices community policing and embodies the values of integrity, empathy, humility and trust.”
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