Fred Stephens

Biography

Throughout his 37-year law enforcement career, Fred E. Stephens has served with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Athens-Clarke County Georgia Police Department, and the Clarke County, Georgia School District Police Department.

He began his career investigating street-level narcotics, drug trafficking organizations, and later violent crime. He has supervised GBI drug enforcement and regional field offices as well as multi-agency task force operations. He served as the Special Agent in Charge of the GBI Athens Field Office from 2001 until 2007. In 2007, he was promoted to Inspector, where he led the GBI’s statewide drug enforcement strategy and the GBI Major Theft Unit.

In May 2012, Stephens retired from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and joined the Athens-Clarke County Police Department as Assistant Police Chief. He served as both Assistant Police Chief of Support Services and, later, Field Operations Chief. He was responsible for the Uniform Patrol Division, Centralized Criminal Investigations, Traffic Unit, Crime Prevention, and Crime Analysis Unit.

In March 2013, Stephens was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice’s Board of Juvenile Justice, where he currently represents Georgia’s Ninth Congressional District.

In December 2015, Stephens joined the Clarke County School District Police Department as interim Police Chief. He was responsible for providing security for a school community population of 18,000 students, staff, and visitors. He was later appointed as Chief of Police and served until January 2018.
In January 2023, Stephens accepted an Adjunct Professorship at Truett McConnell University in the Michael Sattler School of Public Service.

He graduated from Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice/Sociology. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police Command College, and the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE).

He is a POST-certified instructor who has presented on topics such as Death Investigation, Police Use of Force Investigations, Community Policing & Crime Reduction Strategies, Leadership, and Ethics. He is also a certified local instructor for the International Association of Chiefs of Police I.A.C.P.’s Leadership in Police Organizations course.

He has presented for the National Forensics Academy, Harvard Associates of Police Sciences, Illinois Coroner’s Association, Illinois State Police, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

He is a member of the Peace Officers Association of Georgia and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

He made Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior at 13 and is currently a member of Concord Baptist Church.

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake
me, my God, till I declare your power to the next
generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”

Psalm 71:18