Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields came out in an interview with Atlanta Magazine. The revelation is part of a profile on the Chief in its June 2017 issue.
“In the waning months of a lame duck mayor’s term, a time when other city officials are packing their boxes or polishing their résumés, Shields, the APD’s first openly gay chief and the second woman to lead the force, is chipping away at an ambitious agenda for the 1,850-officer department,” the story reads.
Shields was appointed chief in December by Mayor Kasim Reed. When the new Atlanta mayor is elected this November, they will have the option of keeping her on or of following a decades-long tradition of appointing their own chief.
Prior to becoming chief, Shields rose up the ranks of APD, previously serving as the supervisor for its LGBT liaisons while she was Chief of Staff.
(h/t Project Q Atlanta)
Georgia Voice reached out to the Atlanta Police Department for comment, and will update this story as necessary.