Austell names new Police Chief, Scott Hamilton

The city of Austell has a new police chief. Scott Hamilton, a 26-year veteran of the Cobb County Police Department and second-in-command, has been hired to lead this South Cobb city’s law enforcement. 

Mayor Ollie Clemons said Hamilton is the first African-American police chief in Cobb County history.

Hamilton was approved by the Austell City Council at its Monday meeting in a four to two vote with abstentions from Council members Marlin Lamar and Meredith Adams.

Mayor Clemons said Austell received over 20 applications for the Chief’s position and Hamilton was ranked as the top choice. He is looking forward to Hamilton joining the Austell team and leading the department forward.

Hamilton began his law enforcement career as a Cobb Police uniform patrol officer in November 1995. Over the past 26 years, he has served in various roles, including working on the DUI Task Force, the MCS Cobra Narcotics Team, the DPS Training Unit, and the Criminal Investigations Unit. Hamilton also served as special operations commander, where he oversaw several divisions.

As Austell’s new police chief, Hamilton replaces Bob Starrett, the long-serving chief who resigned in December 2021. 

Starrett’s resignation came amid a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into discrepancies in paperwork tied both to the department’s K-9 unit and Starrett. The investigation was sparked by a records request from a local TV station seeking veterinary bills from the department. 

Once the documents were retrieved, the Austell Police department reported the documents to the GBI prior to releasing them. Per a spokesperson for the GBI, the investigation remains active and ongoing.

The incoming chief is expected to start his new job later in the month. Mayor Clemons could not provide an exact start date or information on Hamilton’s salary. Both are expected to be decided “in the next few days,” said Clemons.

Hamilton holds a bachelor’s in health and physical education from the University of the Cumberlands and a master’s in criminal justice from Saint Leo University. He is a 2018 graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police and Command.