Cobb Police Department's No. 2 hired as new Austell chief

The Cobb County Police Department’s second-in-command, a 26-year veteran of the force, has been hired as the new police chief for the city of Austell.

The Austell City Council approved hiring Scott Hamilton, who serves as deputy chief of Cobb Police, at its Monday meeting, Mayor Ollie Clemons told the Journal.

The vote was four in favor, with two abstentions. Council members Marlin Lamar and Meredith Adams abstained.

Clemons said Hamilton is the first African-American police chief in Cobb County history.

“We’re looking forward to him come and joining the Austell team and leading the department,” Clemons said.

Longtime Austell Police Chief Bob Starrett resigned in December of last year amid a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into discrepancies in paperwork tied both to the department’s K-9 unit and Starrett.

The investigation was sparked by an open records request from FOX-5 Atlanta seeking veterinary bills from the department. Upon retrieving the bills, the department reported the documents to the GBI prior to releasing them.

At the time, Natalie Poulk was appointed interim chief, a role she has served in ever since. The GBI investigation remains open, Clemons said.

“It’s still there. I mean, as far as it has not been resolved as of yet … They have not answered that. And I suspect that may be, hopefully, will be resolved soon,” the mayor said.

A spokesperson for the GBI said Tuesday the investigation remains active and ongoing.

Clemons said the city received “20-something” applications for the job. A team scored the applicants, interviewed some of them, then scored them again, landing on Hamilton as the top choice.

Clemons said Hamilton will start his new job some time toward the end of the month, but could not provide an exact date. Hamilton’s salary, Clemons said, was also undetermined, but will be decided “in the next few days.”

Hamilton could not be reached for comment by press time.

According to his biography on the Cobb Police website, Hamilton began his law enforcement career as a Cobb Police uniform patrol officer in November 1995. Over the past 26 years, he has served in various roles, including working on the DUI Task Force, the MCS Cobra Narcotics Team, the DPS Training Unit and the Criminal Investigations Unit. Hamilton also served as special operations commander, where he oversaw several divisions.

Hamilton holds a bachelor’s in health and physical education from the University of the Cumberlands and a master’s in criminal justice from Saint Leo University. He is a 2018 graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police and Command.