Bainbridge Public Safety has promoted four individuals to complete the first phase of their reorganization, the Command Staff.

Public Safety Director Eric Miller said he is confident he has the right people in place to move the agency into the future. “It was a hard decision between so many talented and qualified individuals, but I believe the perfect people are in the position that best suits their talents and abilities,” he said.

“I’m extremely proud to have such dedicated and qualified individuals as part of the Senior Command Staff to lead the agency into the future.”

Step two of the reorganization process will take place in the coming weeks and will involve the promotion of Captains, Sergeants and Corporals.

Green promoted to Deputy Director

Captain Frank Green has been promoted to Deputy Director. As Deputy Director, Green is now second in command. Green is also charged with leading the Office of Professional Standards and Training, City Court Systems, Records Department and inmate work crews. Green has been with the City of Bainbridge since 2004 and has been Chief Investigator of the Criminal Investigation Division for five years.

He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas University and a Masters of Public Administration from Columbus State University. He has also attended Command College and the FBI National Academy. While employed for the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, Green was the 2003 recipient of the Montford-Lynn Peace Officer of the Year award.

“I am excited about this new opportunity,” said Green. “I am looking forward to the challenge this new position puts before me and am excited about the direction Bainbridge Public Safety is headed.”

Carter promoted to Patrol Major

Captain Jerry Carter has been promoted to Major in charge of the Patrol Division. In his new role, Carter will lead each patrol shift, focusing on their day to day operations.

Carter has been employed with the city since 1977 and graduated from the Albany Police Division Academy in 1978. He attended Savannah State College and Bainbridge College and made the rank of Captain in 1989. Carter was the 1989 recipient of the Montford-Lynn Peace Officer of the Year Award.

Since Public Safety’s transition to new administration began, Carter has been serving as the interim Patrol Commander.

Humphrey promoted to CID major

Captain Robert Humphrey has been named Major of the Criminal Investigation Division. Humphrey has been with Bainbridge Public Safety since 1984 and has been a patrol shift captain since 2006. Humphrey has past experience working with the Criminal Investigation Division, which he worked under and supervised for a total of 17 years.

Humphrey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas University, has been named one of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders whose participants are nominated and invited to attend.

Welch to head Fire Prevention/Code Enforcement

Deputy Fire Chief Doyle Welch was also promoted to Major over Fire Prevention/Code Enforcement Division. Welch is now charged with overseeing Code Enforcement as well as vehicle maintenance and all fire education and prevention programs. Welch has worked with Bainbridge Public Safety since 1989.

Some of the roles Welch has served in during his career at BPS include patrolman, assistant fire chief and firefighting training officer.

He also serves as the commander of the Bainbridge-Decatur County Hazardous Materials Team, which is comprised of BPS officers and Decatur County Fire and Rescue firefighters. The team’s members have undergone many rigorous hours of training to be able to respond to incidents such as industrial chemical spills, wrecks involving trucks carrying hazardous materials and retrieval of samples from potentially unstable meth labs.

Welch also has experience training officers on how to drive fire trucks, put out dumpster fires and vehicle fires and conducting other in-service training.