Chief Stacey L. Cotton
Stacey Lanier Cotton has served as police Chief for the City of Covington Police Department since 1997. In November 2008 Chief Cotton was appointed Public Safety Director for the City of Covington providing Leadership to the Police Department, Fire Department, Covington-Newton County 911 Center, and Municipal Court Services. Chief Cotton's career with the City of Covington has spanned over 22 years, with all of that time spent with the Covington Police Department. He has held the rank of officer, sergeant, lieutenant, assistant chief and police chief. Chief Cotton directs over 145 employees in the Public Safety Division of the City of Covington.
Chief Cotton is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA where he attended the 188th session in 1997. In 2001 as a member of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Program (GILEE) Chief Cotton served as the delegation head when he and other Georgia Law Enforcement Executives learned firsthand how to combat terrorism from the Israeli Police. In 2007 Chief Cotton was selected as a part of a pilot group from GILEE who traveled to London, England as a guest of the British Consulate in Atlanta for a series of meetings with London Police and officials concerning the upcoming 2012 Olympics.
In the summer of 2009 Chief Cotton will be sworn in as the President of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP). This association represents over 550 Chiefs of Police and Agency Heads across the State of Georgia. Chief Cotton joined the Executive Board of GACP in 2004 as 4th Vice President and has served on various committees and sub-committees during the last ten years of his membership with this organization. Chief Cotton has also served as special adviser to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) executive board along with other committee assignments over the years. Chief Cotton was recently reappointed to the IACP Conference Committee.
Chief Cotton holds an Associate's Degree from Dekalb College, a Bachelors Degree from Mercer University, a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Troy University. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Continuing and Professional Studies of Mercer University.
Chief Cotton has three children, Erica and twins Kyle and Kole. Erica recently gave birth to Chief Cotton's first grandson Braylon of which he is very proud