Frank Strickland

TIFTON — Frank Strickland is the new Chief of Police at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College after serving as interim chief during the past five months. Two other ABAC officers have received promotions, and four ABAC officers have received designations as corporals.

Strickland has served as Chief of Police and Public Safety Director in the towns of Griffin, Toccoa and Fort Valley. He has also worked as the Chief of Police for the Medical College of Georgia and served as a police officer and supervisor for the University of Georgia’s Police Department in Athens over his 35-year career in law enforcement.

Officers receiving promotions included Sergeant Debbie Pyles, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and assistant chief of police, and Officer Tom Bruce, who was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Officers Todd Daunhauer, Pooja Patel, Jamie Powers and Joe Weatherford received the designation as corporals. The new designation gives the officers additional responsibilities and duties. When necessary, they also serve in the absence of the sergeant.

Pyles began her career with the ABAC Police Department in 2004 after receiving her criminal justice degree and completing the ABAC Police Academy. In 2007, she was promoted to Sergeant and Field Training Officer. She earned a managerial and supervision certificate through Columbus State in 2010. During her 12 years as a police officer at ABAC, she has been named Officer of the Year for the department twice, in 2007 and 2014.

Bruce served 29 years with the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office. He was the night shift supervisor for 23 of those years. Bruce has been a part of ABAC’s police force for just over two years.

Daunhauer joined the ABAC staff as a computer services specialist in 2007. He transferred to the ABAC Police Department in 2013 and serves as the crime prevention security specialist and IT specialist for the department. Patel served as a dispatcher for the Georgia Forestry Commission before joining the department in 2014 as a police officer.

Powers worked as both a correctional officer and probation officer for the Georgia Department of Corrections before joining the ABAC Police Department in 2014 as a police officer. Weatherford was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army before taking a post as a police officer at ABAC in 2014.