The newest appointee to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council is Henry County Police Chief Mark Amerman. He was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp and sworn in October 24 at the Capitol.
The 20-plus members of the council include members appointed by various law enforcement organizations and calls for one police chief in the state to be appointed by the governor. That is Amerman, and his term is open-ended.
Amerman said he was initially contacted by someone in the governor’s office about the volunteer position, after which he followed through on the application process.
“I was asked if I was interested in serving the state of Georgia,” he said. “I said yes.”
The official mission of the POST council is “to provide the citizens of Georgia with qualified, professionally trained, ethical and competent peace officers and criminal justice professionals.”
As the organization which provides oversight for police officers and corrections officers across the state, the council has the authority to suspend an officer from working in Georgia for a period of time or for life when deemed necessary. The council also oversees training throughout the state, monitoring the level of standards and what should be mandated at the various police academies.
Amerman is a law enforcement veteran who served six years with the U.S. Army’s military police before joining the HCPD in 1994. He has risen in rank while serving in various divisions leading up to his appointment as chief in January of 2018. He is also Georgia POST instructor certified and has numerous additional certifications within his profession.
His first council meeting is scheduled for December. He is looking forward to working with the other council members who are experts in their field as they observe police practices in every corner of Georgia.
“To have a greater insight into what’s going on, both good and bad, and to bring back those best practices to Henry County will be a huge benefit,” said Amerman. “I am excited. I think it will be a good experience, and to bring some of that knowledge back to Henry County will be a good thing.”
