APD Zone 5 Commander Takes Morrow Police Chief Position

Atlanta Police Major Christopher Leighty, who has served as the Zone 5 commander for less than a year, has left the department to take the position as chief of police for the City of Morrow.

Zone 5 covers neighborhoods including Midtown, Ansley Park, Home Park, Georgia Tech and Atlantic Station

In an email to neighborhood leaders, Leighty wrote, “I want to thank each of you for your contributions to the safety of Zone 5. I have enjoyed working with each one of you over the past year and am very proud of our collective efforts…It has been my Honor to have been your Zone Commander.”

A source close to the situation indicated that Major Wayne Whitmire, who serves as commander at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, will be taking over the Zone 5 duties, but that has not been confirmed by the Atlanta Police Department. (UPDATE: APD has now confirmed Whitmire will replace Leighty)

Leighty had been with the APD for 22 years. In that time, he served on the department's Red Dog Unit and SWAT team. He also worked as crime suppression unit commander for Zone 4 in southwest Atlanta, and lead the specialized crime fighting units prior to being named commander of Zone 5 last spring.

In an email to Patch, Leighty wrote, “I very much enjoyed working with the Midtown community to address their public safety concerns. Zone 5 had a very engaged group of citizens and I was honored to have been their Zone Commander.”  

Leighty was sworn in as the Morrow police chief on Tuesday, but will not begin his official duties in the Clayton County city until April 9.

Leighty took over the position of the zone commander last May when the popular Major Khirus Williams announced his retirement, saying he was forced out for criticizing a proposal to stop patrols in the neighborhood. That announcement came after the APD had decided to demote Williams to the rank of lieutenant.

Like Leighty, Whitmire began his career with the APD in 1990. In 2006 he was assigned to field operation in Zone 5 after being was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was later appointed assistant zone commander for Zone 5, until being reassigned to Zone 1 as the assistant commander in 2008.

According the APD’s website, he helped Zone 1 in working toward the “largest reduction in crime percentage of any zone for 2008, and 2009." In 2010, Whitmire was reinstated the rank of captain and in November of that year was appointed to the rank of major and assigned to the airport.

What do you feel about Major Leighty’s departure from Zone 5? Tell us in the comments below.