Crime & Safety

APD Names New Commander For Zone 5

Former Marine, Desert Storm/Desert Shield veteran takes over after weeks of controversy

The Old Fourth Ward and parts of Downtown, which fall under the Atlanta Police Department's Zone 5, now have a new commander.

Atlanta Police Chief George Turner named Major Christopher Leighty as the new Zone 5 commander. Leighty replace Major Khirus Williams, who due to to end foot, bicycle, Segway and motorcycle patrols in Midtown. 

Just yesterday, community leaders were to the Old Fourth Ward, Midtown and Zone 5's other in-town neighborhoods. 

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Leighty joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1990, according to an online profile. Before his appointment as Zone 5 commander, he served as commander of the Special Enforcement Section where he lead the specialized crime fighting units.

Leighty has served on the department's Red Dog Unit and SWAT team. As a member of SWAT, he held roles including supervisor and bomb squad commander. He also worked as  Crime Suppression Unit commander for Zone 4 in southwest Atlanta.

Find out what's happening in East Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Before joining APD, Leighty served in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and served in Beirut, Lebanon, and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in southwest Asia.

He earned an associates degree in criminal justice from Georgia Military College, an undergraduate degree in organization leadership from Mercer University and a masters degree in public administration from Columbus State University.


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