The Public Safety Commission in Dalton has named Jason Parker as chief of police effective today. He has been serving as interim chief since Nov. 1.
He was one of three finalists along with Barry Batchelor, a sergeant with the Dalton Police Department and Michael Kinlein, a lieutenant with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office.
He replaces Police Chief James D. Chadwick, who recently resigned. Chief Chadwick began as a rookie officer in 1974 and served the city of Dalton for 33 years.
Chief Parker began his career with the Dalton Police Department in 1987 as a patrol officer. In 1989, he was promoted to sergeant and acted as a patrol shift commander.
In 1997, he was promoted to lieutenant. During that time, he managed the operations functions of every division within the agency.
In March 2007, he was promoted to assistant chief, and handled the operations of the entire department.
Chief Parker began his career in law enforcement as a U.S. Army military police specialist.
Chief Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Covenant College, and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. In addition, he is a 1998 graduate of the 192nd Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and a 2006 graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum, Senior Management Institute for Policing, in Boston. He is married to April Parker, and has two daughters, ages 17 and 13.
Chief Parker is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Dalton-Whitfield, and serves on the board of directors of the Dalton-Whitfield chapter of the American Red Cross. In addition, he is an active member of the Whitfield County Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the Whitfield 911 Advisory Board. Chief Parker is an active member of the FBI National Academy Associates, Leadership Dalton-Whitfield Alumni Associates, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, and International Association of Chiefs of Police.