COBB COUNTY, Ga. — After 35 years with the Cobb County Police Department, Chief Stuart VanHoozer is leaving with pride in the work of his team over the past three years.
“I’m at peace that my officers are alive and well. I’m at peace that we are hiring better. I’m at peace that crime is low,” VanHoozer told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell.
That is part of the reason why VanHoozer has decided to retire at the end of April.
“I want to be a better dad, a better husband, a better son,” he said.
When asked if VanHoozer has accomplished what he set out to do three years ago after he was sworn in as police chief...
“We’ve made progress in all of that. I feel like we’ve accomplished all of them. I don’t think we’ve seen drops in crime like this ever,” VanHoozer said.
Statistics show crime has dropped by 23% across the county in 2024
“We had 6,000 fewer victims last year than we did in 2015, 10 years ago. We dropped crime 49% from 10 years ago,” VanHoozer said.
The chief told Newell that there are less drugs and dealers are on the streets.
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“The people that we are capturing are street-level drug dealers. They are people that are at your high schools with your kids,” VanHoozer said.
He credits various initiatives to the improvement he said he has seen with trust the community has in him and his officers.
He said more officers are visiting communities that typically have higher crime than others.
“We just go there to say hello. We go there to give stickers to kids, talk to moms and dads,” VanHoozer said.
VanHoozer said he is most proud of a new mandatory program for recruits and a voluntary program for senior officers.
“A new defensive tactics program with a different mindset. The calmness and the confidence of the officers is much improved. The safety of the suspect is much improved,” VanHoozer said. “If I could leave with only one wish it would be that all my officers go home alive and not injured.”
VanHoozer’s last day is at the end of April.
It’s unclear who will fill his role.
He said he plans to spend more time with family, go to more Steelers games because he is a diehard fan and look into careers out of law enforcement.
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