Kattie Clarke first woman in 20 years promoted to lieutenant in Athens-Clarke police

Athens-Clarke Police Chief Jerry Saulters announced this week that officer Kattie Clark was promoted to lieutenant becoming the first woman on the force to achieve that rank in 20 years.

Clark, who joined the department in November 2009, will transfer to the Community Outreach Bureau, a section that handles a variety of services from the mental health outreach team to school resource officers.

“I look forward to fostering community relations between the citizens and Athens-Clarke County Police. I am grateful to Chief Saulters for this opportunity,” Clark said.

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“Kattie has earned this promotion through her work ethic and commitment to serving our community,” Saulters said in a statement released with the announcement.

Clark was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she received degrees in criminal justice and psychology. She has a master’s in public safety administration from Columbus State University.

She moved to Georgia in 2009 to work for the Gwinnett County Department of Corrections as a corrections officer in their work release program.

The next year she took the job in Athens.

“I started school to be a doctor, but I made a career change,” she said explaining a fascination with forensic science sparked her interest in law enforcement.

While at the police department, Clark's background shows she has worked in patrol, investigations, and most recently as a sergeant in the records unit.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens-Clarke police promotes Kattie Clark to lieutenant