Veteran Cobb County police officer Stuart VanHoozer has been named the new police chief for Cobb County.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the appointment of VanHoozer as the county’s Chief of Police during its meeting Tuesday morning.
VanHoozer takes the reins of the police department after a 32-year career with the department.
After the vote, VanHoozer reflected on his start with the department.
“I had no skills, I had nothing special, no military, no prior police experience and no education. Cobb County Police hired me and they put me in a little bitty thing called a beat and they gave me one little section of turf to protect for eight hours. And I fell in love with this job,” VanHoozer said.
County Manager Jackie McMorris said VanHoozer became a finalist for the job from more than 50 candidates and distinguished himself as the clear leader.
“We’re very proud to say today we strongly believe we have chosen the most qualified, best-suited police chief for the county,” McMorris said. “We believe he will take Cobb and our police department to 21st century policing.”
County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said she had become familiar with Chief VanHoozer during her time as a district commissioner. “He didn’t look at crime as just crime,” Cupid said. “He was the first to say this isn’t a crime issue; this is a community development issue.”
VanHoozer’s appointment takes effect immediately.
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