LAWRENCEVILLE — In an announcement on Friday afternoon by the Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens, the appointment of retiring Gwinnett County Police Chief, Tom Doran was released. Doran is retiring after nearly three decades of service to the residents of the county.
“I have been very fortunate to be a member of this great agency for nearly 27 years and will cherish every experience and memory,” Doran said. “As I close this chapter of my life, I can say without reservation that serving alongside the dedicated men and women of the Gwinnett County Police Department has been the greatest honor of my life.”
The department will be left in good hands with the appointment of Deputy Chief Brett West. West is a 29-year veteran of the Gwinnett County Police Department who started his career in 1991. He is the sixth consecutive police chief that began their career with Gwinnett PD. West will assume command of the department’s 878 sworn officers and nearly 300 support personnel on July 18.
Once West assumes the role of police chief, J.D. McClure will move into the deputy chief position. McClure, the current assistant chief, has been with the Gwinnett County Police Department since 1996. The new deputy chief will be over the department’s operations bureau, which consists of the Uniform Patrol Division and Criminal Investigations Division.
“Tom’s strong character and steady leadership made him a valued member of the county’s senior management team, and we will all miss him. During Tom’s tenure, our police department has become essentially fully staffed, including those officers in training, something we have not seen in many years. This reflects the department’s reputation as an excellent place of employment and for service to our community,” said Stephens. “Fortunately we have in Brett a deeply knowledgeable and respected public safety professional to take the helm of the department. The police department shines as an example of the succession planning and leadership development we strive to develop throughout our organization, and I am confident both Brett and J.D. will continue the tradition of setting the Gwinnett standard for excellence and community policing.”
West enters his new role with extensive experience, most recently as deputy chief where he was over the administrative bureau consisting of two divisions and operational areas that include professional standards, fiscal management, emergency management, human resources, the training academy, property and evidence, records, facilities, fleet and E911. He has also commanded the administrative services division, support operations division, uniform patrol division, West Precinct and Police Academy during the span of his career. West’s vast experience also includes special operations, traffic, K-9 and criminal investigations.
West holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University and has logged nearly 3,200 hours of specialized training, which includes graduating from both the 247th Session of the FBI National Academy in 2011 and Class XV of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College in 2005.
Deputy Chief West is looking forward to serving in his new role and putting his experience to work. “I am humbled by the confidence instilled in me by County leadership and by the men and women who dutifully serve and protect every day,” West said. “Together we will continue to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement services to Gwinnett County residents, businesses and visitors.”
— Staff Reports
