Bill Hitchens

Bill Hitchens is no stranger to government service. Prior to his election to the Georgia House of Representatives, he served 47 years in the military and state law enforcement. He is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, and he served 28 years on the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) prior to retiring in 1997. During his career with the GSP, he was stationed in Savannah, Americus, Statesboro and Atlanta. At the time of his retirement from the GSP, he held the rank of major and was the South Division adjutant. In that position, he was responsible for all State Patrol law enforcement activities in the southern half of the state, and he reported directly to the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. During the 1996 Olympic Games, he was a law enforcement shift commander and was responsible for all state law enforcement personnel at the many venues in Atlanta and across the state. On one memorable night, he was called to the scene of a “suspicious package” in Centennial Park, which culminated with him being about thirty-five to forty feet from “the bomb” when it detonated. After retiring from the GSP, Bill worked three years with the Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council as a…