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Sheriff Kimbrough has been a resident in Clayton since 1999.
A native of the Atlanta area, Sheriff Kimbrough is a product
of the DeKalb County School System, and he graduated with
honors (magna cum laude) from Morehouse College, located in
Atlanta, Georgia, in July of 1994.
Early in life, Sheriff Kimbrough decided that he was best
suited for a career in law enforcement, due to the kind of
discipline and drive to serve others instilled in him by his
mother and grandparents in his youth. This journey started
in the late 1990’s as an employee with the Fulton County
Sheriff’s Office. In 1999, Sheriff Kimbrough began his
service in the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, as a Deputy
Sheriff in the Field Operations Division. In January 2000,
the Sheriff at the time, Stanley Tuggle, promoted Sheriff
Kimbrough to the rank of Investigator and assigned him to
the Special Investigations Unit. This unit was primarily
responsible for uncovering cases of employee misconduct
within the agency itself and investigating sensitive
criminal matters at the highest level.
While working at the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff
Kimbrough applied, and was accepted, to the prestigious,
nationally-ranked, Emory University School of Law. He
received his law degree (Juris Doctor) in May of 2000, after
having transitioned to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Tuggle personally selected Sheriff Kimbrough to
serve as the Department’s first Legal Advisor, a position
crafted for someone of Sheriff Kimbrough’s unique talents
and experience. Sheriff Tuggle also appointed Sheriff
Kimbrough to the rank of Major, so that he would have the
authority to implement policy on behalf of the Sheriff,
demonstrating the level of confidence the Sheriff had in his
abilities. Sheriff Kimbrough was the first African-American
Major ever to be selected in Clayton County. As Major, he
was also assigned to serve as Commander of Jail Operations
in January of 2002. Sheriff Kimbrough served the Clayton
County Sheriff’s Office with distinction and honor from 1999
to 2004. During his tenure with the Clayton County Sheriff’s
Office, Sheriff Kimbrough was directly responsible for the
following:
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Daily
operation and management of the County Jail and Staff,
including the formulation of budgets, training, and
oversight. The Clayton Jail, at that time, had an
average daily population of almost 1,300 inmates with a
staff of 200 employees (officers, civilians) with an
annual budget of approximately $17 million dollars.
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Revision of the Standard Operations (SOP) Procedures
Manual for Jail Operations that was utilized by the
subsequent administration.
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Institution of a multi-agency system for case
arrests/bookings that minimized the time Clayton’s
police officers spent in court and maximized the time
they spent on patrol in the community.
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Comprehensive review of all Sheriff’s Office Policies
and Procedural Standards.
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Service
as the Sheriff’s designee on the Clayton County Child
Fatality Review Committee.
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Service
as the Sheriff’s designee on the Clayton County Child
Abuse Protocol Committee.
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Service
as the Sheriff’s designee on the Governor’s Advisory
Panel for the Implementation of HB 498 for Mental Health
Community Service Boards
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Service
as the manager/reviewer over all Special Investigations
conducted by the Sheriff’s Office.
Before being elected, Sheriff Kimbrough served as the
Assistant General Counsel to the Association of County
Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). Hired in July of 2004,
Sheriff Kimbrough was primarily responsible for providing
legal advice and expertise to the 159 counties within the
State of Georgia. His duties included the drafting of
ordinances and legislation, and advocacy on behalf of
counties as a registered lobbyist with the Georgia General
Assembly. His specialty areas were Courts, Public Safety,
and Health & Human Services. Additionally, Sheriff
Kimbrough's experience includes work with the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Northern District in Atlanta,
Georgia. In that capacity, he provided critical assistance
in the preparation and conduct of forfeiture actions arising
out of illegal drug/money laundering proceedings. Sheriff
Kimbrough also served with the DeKalb County Juvenile Court
as a Child Advocate. He served as a monitor and reporter on
behalf of children before the court as a result of abuse or
neglect. Sheriff Kimbrough reported only to the presiding
judge in these cases and acted as a watchdog for the court.
Sheriff Kem Kimbrough is married to the former Sherika
Jernigan. They are the proud parents of two sons, Kemuel Jr.
“KJ” and Sean. An avid reader and home improvement
enthusiast, Sheriff Kimbrough has also served as President
of his Homeowners’ Association, Vice-President of the Board
for Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity, Vice-Chair of
the Board for Leadership Clayton, and as a former member of
the Boards of Clayton Youth Leadership and the Southern
Crescent Sexual Assault Center. |
