Director's Message and Bio

January 31, 2022

Welcome to the Cobb County Department of Public Safety. It is the honor of a lifetime to lead Cobb County's Department of Public Safety! We are over 1800 team members that serve a county of 760,000+ residents, thousands of businesses and millions of visitors each year.

Our mission is to provide a safe and secure community through highly trained compassionate personnel, state of the art equipment & systems, and public safety educational services and programs.

We work to:

provide effective & efficient police services (Police);
provide superior fire, rescue and emergency services (Fire);
provide an effective channel of communication between the public and public safety providers (911);
protect people from animals & animals from people and provide housing & care for homeless animals (Animal Services);
coordinate all activities necessary to protect Cobb from natural, technological and manmade disasters & emergencies that threaten the County (Emergency Management);
provide the highest quality safety education & training (Safety Village).

Whether you decide to attend a baseball game hosted by the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves, dine in one of numerous restaurants in Cobb or bike along the hundreds of miles of trails throughout the county, we strive to ensure it is a safe experience for you, your family and friends.

We are grateful for our community partners, board members, fellow county employees, and the Board of Commissioners for the confidence that you place in us and your unflinching support. We vow to continue to work with stakeholders to maintain Cobb as the premiere destination to live, work and play.

Bio for Director Crider

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the appointment of Randy Crider as the Public Safety Agency Director effective May 12, 2020. Mr. Crider’s career includes over 38 years of experience in Fire Services, most recently serving as Fire Chief since 2014 and Interim Public Safety Director since August 2019.

Prior to joining Cobb County, Chief Crider worked as a firefighter in the City of Douglasville, Georgia for nine years. Since joining Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services in October of 1990, Crider worked his way through the ranks to become the Fire Chief.

In addition to his many years of fire service experience and professional credentials, Crider has an associate degree in Fire Science, a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and Leadership with a focus on Public Safety, and a Master of Business Administration from Reinhardt University. Director Crider is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Cobb and a 2016 graduate of Honorary Commanders. He is the former Vice President of District 7 in the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, past President of the Metro Atlanta Fire Chief’s Association and is a trained mediator.

“Randy Crider has always stepped up,” said District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell. “Especially in this pandemic, he has shown he has the leadership and the skills to carry us forward.”

“I never dreamed 38 years ago when I put on a badge as a firefighter that I’d be where I am today,” Crider said. “I want to thank the folks at Fire for the support I’ve had there for almost 30 years. It’s going to be difficult to walk away from that, but I recognize there are some greater needs to bring together many stakeholders to keep Cobb safe.”

The Cobb County Public Safety Department employs 1800+ paid personnel serving over 760,000 citizens in an area covering 345 square miles.

If you are interested being part of a team that is committed to the community we serve, I invite you to visit: