(Cleveland) – A 30-year law enforcement veteran who currently serves as a captain at Hall County Sheriff’s Office will be the new police chief in Cleveland. The Cleveland City Council voted Monday night to name Jeff Shoemaker of a Clermont address in White County to the city’s top law enforcement post.
Shoemaker previously worked at Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson, and Gainesville police departments. His most recent time with Hall County Sheriff’s Office began in 2002 and he currently is responsible for the Jail Division. Cleveland Mayor Josh Turner said the city received 21 applications for the position.
The vote was not unanimous, councilman Bradley Greene voted no, but after the meeting said he fully supports the decision of the council he just voted his conscience.
Mayor Turner would not go into detail about why they selected Shoemaker but said “ he did have the majority support of the council and I think it is important to note for Mr. Shoemaker that he has the entire support of the council and mayor and we all want him to succeed even though it was not a unanimous vote,”
Shoemaker is a 2020 graduate of Liberty University with a bachelor of science in criminal justice and a minor in homeland security. In 2019, he attended the 275th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. He has attained more than 5,800 Georgia POST training hours
Shoemaker replaces longtime Cleveland Police Chief John Foster.
Other finalists for the post included Cleveland Police Maj. Aaron A. Weiland, who has spent his career with the department and was named interim chief after Foster’s retirement, and University of Georgia Police Lt. Courtney S. Gale.
The start date for Shoemaker is to be determined, but Mayor Josh Turner said he hopes he can come as soon as possible.
