ATLANTA — Longtime public safety leader Michael “Mike” Register has been appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp as the new director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

Register will step in to fill the vacancy made by Vic Reynolds, who was recently sworn in as a Cobb Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge. 

“I’m looking forward to (Register’s) impact on this important agency that makes our entire state a safer and better place to live, work, and raise our families,” Kemp said in a statement. “I also want to thank Vic Reynolds for all of his contributions to the GBI during a critical time when the state faced and overcame the challenges presented by the summer of civil unrest and the pandemic. As he continues to serve his fellow Georgians in a new capacity, Marty and I wish him the very best and congratulate him on leaving an enduring mark on the agency.” 

Before being appointed to lead the GBI, Register served as assistant chief of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office where he oversaw community engagement, uniform field operations, and internal affairs, according to the Governor’s office. Prior to that, he was the director of public safety for Cobb County, the chief of police for Cobb County, and the chief of police for Clayton County.

Register was previously the chief operating officer for Quiet Professionals, LLC. in Tampa, Fla., where he handled the daily operations for that company and its subsidiaries. The company’s core business competencies are to support critical missions for Special Operations Command and various intelligence agencies. He is a past member of the Georgia POST Council, the Judicial Qualification Commission, and served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces’ Executive Board and various other law enforcement-related organizations.

According to the governor’s office, Register is currently obtaining his doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University, has a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University, and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute. He also served 23 years in the U.S. Army Special Operations, including combat operations in Afghanistan. 

GBI Assistant Director John Melvin will serve as interim director until Register is sworn in to his new role. Register’s appointment also awaits confirmation from the Georgia Board of Public Safety. 

The GBI director position entails overseeing the GBI, which provides investigative assistance to local law enforcement agencies for local crimes, provides criminal justice information to agencies, and through its forensic science division and more advanced technology, collects, analyzes, and interprets physical evidence for officers, investigators, and district attorneys throughout the state. The GBI also often investigates incidents of officer-involved shootings and incidents that result in a death involving law enforcement encounters.