Former Marietta police chief dies

Bobby Moody led agency to achieve national standards.

The Marietta Police Department is mourning the loss of the former chief who led the agency as it obtained national accreditation.

Bobby D. Moody, 73, died Friday. He served as police chief from July 1996 to July 2006.

During his tenure, Mari- etta police obtained national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agen- cies and state certification through the Georgia Asso- ciation of Chiefs of Police, the department said. Chief Dan Flynn said his predecessor was a “giant in the world of Georgia policing.” He said Moody was responsible for professionalizing the department and

implementing educational standards for promotions.

“From the time I arrived, I was able to figuratively stand on his strong shoulders and grow with the professional staff he had developed,” said Flynn, who joined the

department in 2007. “His brand of policing will be indelibly marked on the DNA of the Marietta Police Department.”

Before coming to Mari- etta, Moody served with the Covington Police Depart- ment where he eventually was appointed chief. Moody spent 30 years in law enforce- ment, and served as pres- ident of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

According to his obituary, Moody pushed the men and women that worked for him “to be the best they could be.” A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Klondike Farm in Conyers. Donations can be made in memory of Moody to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The family asks attendees coming to Saturday’s service to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of practicing

social distancing and wearing masks in public.

1996 AJC FILE Bobby Moody became police chief for the City of Marietta in 1996 after years of serving with the Covington Police Department. In his 10-year tenure, he led the Marietta agency in obtaining national accreditation.