Police Chief Appoints New Zone 5 Commander

There is a new commander for police Zone 5, which covers Midtown and other neighborhoods.

Atlanta Police Chief George Turner has appointed Major Christopher Leighty as the new Zone 5 commander. Leighty will replace Major Khirus Williams, who due to to end foot, bicycle, segway and motorcycle patrols in Midtown. 

Just yesterday, community leaders were to Midtown. 

Leighty joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1990, according to an online profile. Before his appointment as Zone 5 commander, he served as commander of the Special Enforcement Section where he lead the specialized crime fighting units.

Leighty has served on the department's Red Dog Unit and SWAT team. As a member of SWAT, he held roles including supervisor and bomb squad commander. He also worked as  Crime Suppression Unit commander for Zone 4 in southwest Atlanta.

Before joining APD, Leighty served in the U.S. Marine Corps. In that organization, he attained the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and served in Beirut, Lebanon, and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in southwest Asia.

He earned an associates degree in criminal justice from Georgia Military College, an undergraduate degree in organization leadership from Mercer University and a masters degree in public administration from Columbus State University.