After more than 30 years in the City of East Point Police Department (EPPD), Chief Tommy Gardner has announced his retirement.
Gardner was hired on June 13, 1988 and will retire on July 1, 2021. Gardner was appointed Chief of Police in 2014 and served in this capacity for seven years. During his time as chief, he managed the Support Services Division, Field Operations Division, Criminal Investigation Division and over 170 employees in a City of more than 35,000 residents.
“I am blessed to be in a position where I was able to work around some of the best police officers in the state of Georgia,” Chief Tommy Gardner, East Point Police said in a press release. “I could not have done this without the support of our Mayor and Council and leadership of our City Manager Frederick Gardiner. Furthermore, none of this could’ve been possible without the care and constant support of my loving wife, Command Staff, officers and the community.”
Prior to working in law enforcement, Gardner graduated from Therrell High School in 1984 and served in the United States Marine Corps for three years. He received his Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University in 2000, his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University in 1993, his Associates in Applied Science in Criminal Justice from Georgia Military College in 1988 and is currently working towards a Doctoral degree at Restoration Theological Seminary.
During Chief Gardner’s tenure, he has served as a tremendous leader and is well rounded as an: Internal Affairs Commander, Traffic Commander, Field Operations Unit Commander and Special Operations Commander. Under his leadership, Chief Gardner maintained the police department’s state certification, instituted an education incentive plan for officers, continued the yearly summer initiative program for youth, implemented body-worn cameras, in-car cameras and tag readers for officers, as well as, passing two five-year strategic plans encompassing community policing and the 21st Century Policing Task Force Recommendations.
Chief Gardner’s upbringing as an Atlanta native has supported his development as a passionate, dynamic and persevering innovator who strives to solve problems and engage with the East Point community. Gardner has been married for twenty-six years and is the father of three beautiful girls.
The City of East Point is in the process of hiring a new Police Chief.
