Louis Dekmar is a law enforcement expert and retired police chief. He has almost fifty years of law enforcement experience—including nearly 32 years as a police chief or chief of public safety—and has served as the President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, and Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (“CALEA”).
Chief Dekmar began his law enforcement career in the U.S. Air Force before becoming a police officer and investigator in Wyoming, where he was awarded the Medal of Valor for Bravery Displayed in the Line of Duty by the Douglas Police Department. He moved to Georgia in 1987, serving variously as a police officer, commander of a Criminal Investigations Division, and ultimately police chief in two different jurisdictions. For eight years, he sat on the Georgia Board of Public Safety, which provides policy oversight for the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
As a police chief, Chief Dekmar led efforts to promote accuracy and fairness and to build public trust, and was recognized as Police Chief of the Year and Outstanding Chief of the Year in Georgia. He has trained law enforcement leaders all across the country (and abroad), including presenting at the FBI National Academy.
Since his retirement from the LaGrange Police Department in 2023, Chief Dekmar has continued to promote effective law enforcement. He has acted as an expert witness in almost 40 cases; has conducted over 75 audits, reviews, and investigations for law enforcement agencies across the country; and has published dozens of articles on good policing, including on the role of forensic science in policing.
He received his Master of Public Administration degree from Georgia College and State University and his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming, as well as honorary doctorates from LaGrange College and the Central Police University in Taipei, Taiwan. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, and has attended over 3,500 hours of law enforcement training in patrol, criminal investigations, supervision, internal affairs, administration, management, leadership, policy, and procedure.