ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will have a new director in two weeks and Channel 2 Action News sat down and talked with him and found out his first mission: Georgia's 70,000 gang members.
Channel 2's Richard Elliot had an exclusive conversation with Vic Reynolds on Tuesday discussing his vision for the law enforcement organization.
“I’m very honored, very humbled, very excited and a little bit nervous, too,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds previously served as Cobb County’s district attorney for many years. He and Governor Brian Kemp shared a concern over street gangs in Georgia.
Kemp wants $500,000 to create a GBI gang task force. Reynolds said he wants it to include not only investigators, but an embedded prosecutor to help smaller communities go after gangs.
“So what I hope to see happen is the GBI internally develop a gang task force that has the ability to go to areas that need help,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds concedes he's coming into the GBI as an outsider, so he says he needs to meet with agents to gain their trust.
He wants to make sure the GBI is prepared to continue to investigate the growing number of police-involved shootings, and to make sure the agency maintains the public’s trust.
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“We’re always, always, always going to tell the truth, no matter what the circumstances. We will tell the truth,” Reynolds said.
Channel 2 Action News caught Governor Kemp as he was walking into a meeting Tuesday and asked him about his pick for GBI director.
“Oh, very excited about Vic. Number one, he’s a great guy, man of integrity. He’s got a lot of experience, you know, on the ground as a police officer, certainly as a prosecutor. I think he’s an innovator,” Kemp said.
Reynolds will be sworn in as GBI director on Feb. 16.