46 | March/April 2018
in the same fashion that she sees going on in Fayetteville. Similar things
happened in parts of Atlanta.
"And because I had seen it happen in other communities, I said, 'I can see
they're changing,'" she said. "'ey may not understand how they're changing
but they are and I want to be a part of that.'"
Hawkins, who is 50, is the first woman and the first minority to serve
as chief of Fayetteville's police department in a non-interim capacity.
In announcing her selection last year, the city manager said he'd been
impressed by Hawkins' experience, education and diverse skills, including
the willingness to listen to others, attention to detail, an ability to adapt and
evolve, a sense of humor and the ability to connect with people.
Hawkins worked her way up through the ranks aer graduating from
Atlanta's police academy at age 21. She then spent 18 years with the Atlanta
Police Department, working in sectors such as patrol, crime analysis,
investigations and internal affairs and rising to the position of assistant zone
commander.
In 2006, she took a job as a lieutenant in a newly formed police department
for the newly incorporated city of Sandy Springs, an affluent area north of
Atlanta. Hawkins said she was one of 11 Type A personalities brought in to
head different areas of the new department.
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"I believe in love and I am strong in my faith," she said. "I
know other people have to grow and learn too. I think
I have the ability to always look at everyone's value.
Everyone has a gift though they may not know what it is.
Let's see if we can help them figure it out."
