Michael Register, a former Cobb public safety director and police chief who is currently a Cobb assistant sheriff, has been named director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Register’s appointment was announced Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp. Register succeeds Vic Reynolds, a former Cobb District Attorney whom Kemp recently named as a judge to the Cobb Superior Court.
Until Register’s hiring is approved by the Georgia Board of Public Safety, assistant GBI director John Melvin will head the department in an interim role.
“Mike has a strong track record of strengthening public safety and protecting Georgia’s communities,” Kemp said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to his impact on this important agency that makes our entire state a safer and better place to live, work, and raise our families.”
Register has been with the sheriff’s department since current Sheriff Craig Owens took office in 2021. Register’s duties included community engagement, uniform field operations and internal affairs.
Reynolds, who was named GBI director by Kemp in late 2019, resigned that post in June and was sworn in Monday to succeed former Judge Tain Kell.
Sgt. Jeremy Blake, a public information officer for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, issued the following statement:
“Assistant Chief Michael Register is a dynamic leader and law enforcement professional. He has been instrumental in helping Sheriff Owens transform the culture at the sheriff’s office.“Sheriff Owens and the men and women of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office express our appreciation for his service to the people of Cobb County and we wish him all the best in his new role serving our great state.”
Register, a former Clayton police chief, served as Cobb Police Chief from 2017 to 2019, when he was promoted to public safety director. But he announced his retirement a few months later, citing “urgent family issues.”
Register is a retired U.S. Army veteran who is a graduate of the FBI Executive Institute and is working on a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University.
He is a past member of the Georgia Peace Officers Standard Training Council and the state Judicial Qualification Commission and served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces’ Executive Board.
The GBI employs nearly 1,000 people and conducts a variety of criminal investigations and forensic science and supports the state’s criminal justice system.
Among those roles includes investigating officer-involved shootings by local law enforcement.
Related:
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- 3 minor boys charged with arson in Chimney Lakes gazebo fire
- Construction costs ‘elevated’ for new Cobb Police Precinct 6
- East Cobb suspect arrested following wave of home burglaries
- New Cobb Police Chief ‘humbled’ by appointment
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