William O'Brien

William O’Brien serves as the Chief of Police for DeKalb County. He is the Chief Administrator of the Police Department and is responsible for policy development, control, supervision, and program implementation.

William has served more than 24 years with the DeKalb County Police Department and has worked various assignments, including Homicide, Burglary, and Community Oriented Policing. He also served as Field Operations Supervisor for the Interactive Community Policing Unit, Assistant Commander of East Precinct, Chief of Staff for the Chief of Police, Assistant Commander of Special Operations, and Commander of Internal Affairs, where he created an Early Warning System to detect patterns of misconduct. 

Departmental Summary – Police Department

The mission of the DeKalb County Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in DeKalb County by working cooperatively with the public and within the framework of the U.S. Constitution to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment.

The DeKalb County Police Department was enacted by the General Assembly on August 17, 1914.  Since the department’s inception, there have been a total of 19 Police Chiefs that have paved the way for its success.  The DeKalb County Police Department currently operates out of five area precincts.  Within those five precincts are 1,112 sworn police officers and approximately 498 support staff employees. 

The DeKalb County Police Department is a CALEA accredited organization.  Its members are devoted to ensuring the community is a safe place to live and work.