MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Sgt. First Class Kendall Blake Swicord, commander of the Georgia State Patrol’s Milledgeville Post 33, is on administrative leave with pay for alleged policy violations.

Georgia Department of Public Safety Public Information Director Mark S. Perry said last Thursday morning that Swicord was placed on administrative leave with pay March 2.

Perry said he could not go into the specifics regarding the alleged policy violations, because they are part of an ongoing internal investigation and “not releasable at this time.”

He said he could not say how long the internal probe might take before it is concluded. It was launched on the same day that Swicord was relieved of his command at the Milledgeville GSP post.

Repeated attempts by The Union-Recorder to reach Swicord by telephone for comments concerning the investigation have been unsuccessful.

Swicord has been with the Georgia State Patrol since being hired as a trooper cadet on Feb. 18, 2001, according to personnel records obtained by the newspaper under the Georgia Open Records Act.

Prior to Swicord’s command in Milledgeville, he served as post commander of the Georgia State Patrol post in Dublin.

After attending and graduating from trooper school, Swicord’s first assignment with the Georgia State Patrol was as a trooper at Post 25, which at that time was located near Thomson. A new GSP post 25 was built years later near the Columbia County city of Grovetown.

On Jan. 28, 2002, Swicord transferred to the Madison Post 8 where he worked as a trooper. On April 1, 2003, Swicord was promoted to trooper first class and continued to work at the Madison post until he was detached to the state patrol’s statewide SWAT unit.

For the next several years, Swicord worked in the state patrol’s CIU unit. On Aug. 16, 2007, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant with that unit, records show.

On April 16, 2014, Swicord was promoted to the rank of sergeant first class and named commander of the Dublin Post 20.

He later transferred from the Dublin post to the Milledgeville post on Sept. 16, 2016, where he has been ever since.

During his career with the Georgia State Patrol, Swicord has been recognized twice for outstanding job performance.

He was the recipient of the Commissioner’s Commendation Award on Oct. 25, 2006, and received the Governor’s Public Safety Award Act of Heroism in 2007.