The City of Atlanta Department of Corrections announced that Chief Patrick Labat was sworn in as the new President of the Georgia Jail Association during the organization’s 30th Annual Summer Training Conference. Chief Labat’s term is effective immediately and ends at the 2018 conference.

"I am deeply honored to be elected the 2017-2018 President of the Georgia Jail Association and look forward to our association having a successful year of providing continuing education opportunities and sharing best practices with public safety agencies across the state,” said Chief Labat. ““Being chosen to serve as President of GJA is another demonstration of the positive reputation the Atlanta Department of Corrections has across the state, and how our operations of the Atlanta City Detention Center set an excellent example for how detention facilities should be run. I am thankful for the continued support of Mayor Kasim Reed and for the opportunity to showcase our success.”

Labat was appointed Chief of the Atlanta Department of Corrections by Mayor Kasim Reed in 2010. As the department head, he is responsible for the overall operation and direction of the Atlanta City Detention Center, as well as the detention facilities and operations at Atlanta Municipal Court and Grady Hospital for ill and/or injured inmates. He is a Peace Officer Standards and Training Certified Jailer and a POST Certified Mandated Peace Officer with more than 29 years of jail management, corrections administration and law enforcement experience.

As part of Chief Labat’s commitment to community service, he has created several youth initiatives including Operation Correct Start – a program designed to show young people how to avoid a life of incarceration. He also co-founded the department’s Junior Corrections Officer Leadership Academy. In addition to his new board position with GJA, Labat also serves as National Region III Vice President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. A native of Atlanta, Labat is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, and received his Master’s in Public Administration from Columbus State University.