June 4, 2025
Shame ts Jones-Harrell brings over two decades of law enforcement service
A city in Cobb County, Georgia has broken barriers with its new appointment for police chief. A Black woman will lead the Austell Police Department for the first time in its history.
A unanimous city council vote established Shameta Jones-Harrell as Austell’s new police chief. She will now reign as the first woman and Black woman to take on the role in Cobb county. The department announced the news to Facebook June 2.
According to her new bio on the Austell city website, Chief Harrell has over two decades of law enforcement service. Before starting her impressive career, she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Forensic Science at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. She began as a Uniform Patrol officer in Metro Atlanta’s College Park Police Department in 2000.
She then became a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) before serving as a Field Training Officer. Ahead of her promotion to Sergeant, she also worked as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Division. Her work specialized in sex crimes, domestic violence, and crimes against children.
She then transitioned to the Brookhaven Police Department as a Uniform Patrol Sergeant in 2013. While there, she launched programs while leading new divisions that transformed the agency. As a Commander of Support Services for the department, she aided in the rebrand of the Community Policing Unit to the “Community Engagement Unit.” The name change better reflected its goals to work alongside the community it serves.
Harrell also initiated the “One Congregation One Precinct (OneCop)” program to connect the department with faith-based organizations in its neighborhood. Furthermore, she helped increase police accountability and reform efforts as liaison for the Social Justice, Race, and Equity Commission’s (SJREC) Police Accountability & Legitimacy Committee. She advised the committee on her own agency’s standards and guidelines for equitable policing to shape their own recommendations, impacting the changes to police work that combat historic injustices.
She will now lead as Austell police chief as they protect a predominately Black community. According to U.S. Census Data, Black people accounted for 63.2% of city residents in 2024.
With memberships in the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Harrell hopes to use her vast experience and prior leadership to better serve all within Austell and Cobb County.
