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JULY 29, 2004
MARTA’S WILSON AWARDED OUTSTANDING CHIEF OF THE YEAR

ATLANTA—The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police presented MARTA Police Chief Gene Wilson with the “Outstanding Chief of the Year” award July 27 during its 37th annual summer training conference held in Savannah, GA. Chief Wilson, who received this honor in 1993, was selected from 550 police chiefs in the state of Georgia.

At MARTA, Chief Wilson is the Assistant General Manager of Police/System Safety & Station Services, where he is responsible for providing police services to MARTA patrons and facilities, as well as protection and security for all Authority assets, enforcing the laws of the State of Georgia, and maintaining order, and enforcing the rules of the Authority. In addition to leading the administration and operation of MARTA’s 297 sworn officers and 43 civilian employees, Chief Wilson is also in charge of the Department of Station Services and the Department of Safety & Quality Assurance, responsible for the design, development, implementation, and management of a comprehensive Authority-wide safety program.

”The MARTA family is very proud of Chief Wilson and we congratulate him for his accomplishments and outstanding leadership,” said MARTA General Manager/CEO Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. “This award recognizes the outstanding works of MARTA personnel throughout the state and the nation. This is just another indication that the quality of our safety and security efforts work at MARTA.”

Chief Wilson began his police career in 1971 as an extension of his studies at Georgia State University’s Criminal Justice program, working with the Atlanta Police Department. In that same year, he was hired as an officer with the DeKalb County Police Department. Over 19 years he served in many capacities, including Homicide Detective, Commander of the Major Crimes Unit, DeKalb Police Academy Director, Commander of the Internal Affairs Unit, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Public Safety, and Precinct Commander.

MARTA hired Chief Wilson in 1989 as the Director of Police Services. In 1996 he was promoted to a Vice President’s position in addition to his duties as Chief of Police. In 2001, Chief Wilson was promoted to Assistant General Manager of Police and System Safety. Under Chief Wilson’s direction, the MARTA Police Department became internationally accredited through CALEA in March of 1996 and re-accredited in 2001 and 2004. After the September 11th attacks, he organized and implemented the MARTA Emergency Preparedness Unit within the police department for the purpose of prioritizing projects, the security oversight of construction projects and the education of employees. By securing funding from the National Department of Homeland Security, Chief Wilson also coordinated the installation of security barriers, bombproof trashcans, a mailroom x-ray machine and a key card entry system in order to better protect the public, fellow employees and property. In 2002, MARTA honored him with the Chairman of the Board Award.

Wilson currently chairs MARTA’s TranStat, a new tactical tool to address internal performance management and accountability issues. Largely modeled after the highly successful NYPD COMPSTAT and Baltimore’s CITISTAT programs, TranStat will initially focus on analyzing service delays, employee absenteeism and disciplinary actions, customer complaints, and overtime expenditures with a goal of significantly shortening the time it takes to resolve problems and improve organizational performance.

A graduate of Georgia State University and the F.B.I. National Academy, Chief Wilson has served as a member of the Georgia Academy Directors Association, Executive Board of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, past chairman of the Fulton County Public Safety Training Center Advisory Board, past chairman of the Atlanta Metropol, past president of the DeKalb County Chief’s Association, Advisory Board Member to the Georgia Police Officer Standards and Training Council, and a member of the Olympic Site Security Group and State Olympic Law Enforcement Command during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also named Georgia Police Chief of the Year in 1993. Chief Wilson is presently a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency “All Hazards Council.”

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