Kemp taps Cobb County law enforcement officer to lead GBI

A Cobb County law enforcement officer is Gov. Brian Kemp’s pick to become the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s next director.

Kemp nominated Mike Register Monday to succeed Vic Reynolds at the helm of the GBI. The appointment is subject to a vote by the Georgia Board of Public Safety. Reynolds left the GBI in June for a Superior Court judgeship in the Cobb Judicial Circuit.

Before his appointment to head the GBI, Register served as assistant chief of the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. Before that, he was director of public safety for Cobb County, the chief of police for Cobb County, and police chief in Clayton County.

'Mike has a strong track record of strengthening public safety and protecting Georgia's communities,” Kemp said Monday. 'I'm looking forward to his impact on this important agency that makes our entire state a safer and better place to live, work, and raise our families.”

Before coming to Georgia, Register was the chief operating officer for Quiet Professionals in Tampa, FL, a company that supports various intelligence agencies.

Register also served for 23 years in Army Special Operations, including combat duty in Afghanistan.

Register is working toward a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University, has a Master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University, and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.