CHAMBLEE, Ga. — There's a new chief in town -- and he's led departments all over metro Atlanta.
The City of Chamblee has named Gary Yandura as its interim police chief. He will lead the police department and help the city pick a permanent candidate to assume the role.
Yandura is a 47-year law enforcement veteran.
He recently retired as Brookhaven's chief of police after serving in the department for a decade and was credited with reducing crime in the city. He's also served as the chief at Hiram and College Park's policing agencies.
In 2020, Yandura was recognized as Outstanding Chief of the Year by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a graduate of the FBI Academy and is certified by the Georgia Police Officers Standards and Training Council (POST).
Yanduran will temporarily replace former Chamblee police chief Kerry Thomas.
Thomas joined the department in 2018 and is now leading the Port Wentworth Police Department near Georgia's coast in the Savannah area. Before policing in DeKalb County, Thomas spent 31 years in the Savannah Police Department marking the opportunity a sort of homecoming for the law enforcement veteran.
