A former sheriff for Tift County in South Georgia has been named the interim commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
The Board of Public Safety voted unanimously Wednesday to name Gary Vowell to the position, following the recent resignation of Col. Mark McDonough, who stepped down at the request of Gov. Brian Kemp. McDonough's departure follows a test cheating scandal that saw an entire class of GSP cadets dismissed.
Vowell's first day on the job will be March 1, 2020, according to a press statement from the governor's office.
"Gary Vowell is a respected and trusted leader within Georgia's law enforcement community, and he is a strong public servant who is ready to take the helm at the Department of Public Safety," said Kemp in a prepared statement. "Given his background, I know that Gary will be able to easily transition in this important role.”
Vowell, a Georgia native, began his law enforcement career in Americus in 1976, working as a communications officer for the Georgia State Patrol. Vowell graduated as a member of the 51st Trooper School and was assigned to Post 13 in Tifton. He was later promoted to serve as a Field Training Officer. During this time, he was awarded numerous certificates for citations and drug interdiction by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and GSP, and he is a former drug interdiction instructor for the Michigan State Police.
In 1991, Vowell was promoted to the GSP Safety Education Division, later becoming a certified Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) instructor for alcohol and drug awareness programs. Vowell retired from the GSP in 1996.
Vowell was elected Tift County Sheriff in 1996. In that job, he supervised 115 employees and managed the county’s 265-bed jail. He retired from public office in late 2012. He was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the Board of Public Safety from 2011 to 2012. Vowell is a longtime member of the National Sheriff’s Association and the Georgia Sheriff’s Association.
