Dallas City Council Chooses Duvall as Next Police Chief

Paulding County resident Joe Duvall passed muster recently with the Dallas City Council and was chosen to lead the city’s 19-person police department.
Duvall comes from a 31-year career with the Marietta Police Department before retiring as a major this month and is set to begin his new job Jan. 29, after being the sole finalist among the 41 applicants for the position, according to Dallas city officials. Duvall’s experience in Marietta with information technology and community policing is what helped convince council members he was the right choice, according to Dallas Councilman Chris Carter, who chairs the council’s Law Enforcement Committee.
City officials want Duvall to set-up a firm lineage within the Dallas staff that can easily transition into new leadership if he leaves or when he decides to retire.
Duvall cites his family ties and 30 years of residency in Paulding as reasons for his “vested interest” in the community. His time with Marietta Police Department included serving as the Zone One commander and the Special Response Commander in charge of SWAT and Hostage Negotiations Units.
But before deciding on any new initiatives after he begins his new position, Duvall will meet with officers, elected officials and the general public to help assess the needs of the department. Duvall had run for the Georgia House of Representatives, District 19, in 2016 against incumbent Paulette Rakestraw, and was defeated in the Primary election.
The Navy veteran earned a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Kennesaw State. He is a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy, the D.E.A. Drug Unit Commander's Academy, the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College, and the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University.
He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the FBI National Academy Associates, the Cobb County Law Enforcement Association and Fraternal Order of Police.

Paulding resident Joe Duvall was chosen to lead the city’s 19-person police department and is set to begin his new job Jan. 29th.