Chief Lou Dekmar Bio

Chief Louis Dekmar's law enforcement career includes 10 years as a Wyoming police officer and investigator, and 31 years serving in Georgia as a police officer, detective, and division commander before assuming the position of chief of police for the city of LaGrange, Georgia, in 1995.

A graduate of the FBI National Academy and FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, Chief Dekmar is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, a board member for the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange, past president and chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and past president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. Additionally, he is a former Council Member for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council and a past member of the Georgia Board of Public Safety; he has also served as a Federal Monitor for the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. He is an adjunct professor for several colleges and institutions.

Chief Dekmar is an international presenter for police leaders and elected officials on a range of topics involving leadership, ethics, law enforcement management, and liability issues and has provided over 300 training programs to police chiefs, elected officials, and other law enforcement personnel in over 20 states and several countries. He holds a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Wyoming and an MS in Public Administration from Georgia College and State University.

Chief Dekmar has received the CALEA Egon Bittner Award, Georgia Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement and Contribution to the Law Enforcement Profession, LaGrange College Servant-Leadership Award, Georgia Outstanding Police Chief of the Year, and the Police Valor Medal for Bravery. He is married to Carmen and they have two children, Chris and Cathy.