College Park has bumped Deputy Chief Sharis McCrary into the top job, handing her the keys to a police department already wrestling with staffing shortfalls and a year of high-level turnover after Chief Connie Rogers' abrupt exit.
City confirms appointment
The city announced McCrary's promotion on Tuesday, and local outlets quickly confirmed the move. According to 11Alive, a city spokesperson said Rogers resigned over a "personnel matter." Rogers had held the chief's job since 2022, as previously reported by Atlanta News First.
McCrary's experience and education
McCrary joined the College Park Police Department in July 2001 and worked her way through patrol, criminal investigations, SWAT, traffic and the community-oriented policing unit. In that role, she developed programs focused on protecting youth and senior residents, giving her a front-row seat to some of the city's most vulnerable communities.
The City of College Park staff directory already lists McCrary as chief of police, and commencement records from Columbus State University show she completed graduate study in public-safety administration.
Department challenges
McCrary takes over while the department is stretched thin. She told City Council in April that College Park was short roughly 33 officers, a deficit local reporting has bluntly labeled "unsustainable." Recruitment and retention have been recurring problems amid a string of departures and public disputes that have put City Hall's personnel decisions under a steady spotlight.
Legal backdrop
Complicating the picture, McCrary is a named plaintiff in a federal lawsuit accusing the city of sex- and race-based discrimination. Court filings show the case survived early attempts at dismissal, and it has continued to color coverage of leadership changes in the department. Filed in 2023, the suit has been a persistent backdrop for why promotions and personnel moves inside the agency draw extra attention.
What to watch next
City leaders now face a crowded to-do list: stabilize patrol staffing, boost officer morale and reassure residents that public safety will hold steady during yet another transition at the top. Officials have not released any details about Rogers' departure beyond the earlier city statement, and for now, local reporting and city records will be the main guide as McCrary settles into the role and tries to steady the department she has served for more than two decades.
