Earlier this year, the well-respected Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta office, David LeValley, passed away due to complications from his response to the World Trade Center on 9/11. Dave was a quiet leader who believed in partnerships.  He will be missed.  Dave will also be hard to replace. At a recent Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force Executive Board meeting, I had the opportunity to meet the Acting SAC, Chris Hacker.  Chris is a genuinely nice guy who had most recently been the Acting Assistant Director of CID in Washington. Fortunately for us, Chris was named as the Special Agent in Charge for Atlanta.  I could tell Chris was the right person for the job. Chris recently spoke at the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police District 11 meeting.  He could have given a generic FBI talk.  I have heard quite a few of them over the years. Instead, Chris shared his personal story and his vision for his office. I’m glad I was there to hear it. His Story Chris grew up in Kentucky, and as a child, he dreamed of being an FBI Agent.  After high school, he attended Eastern Kentucky State University where he graduated…

On October 27th at 9:50 am, a lone gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and began shooting and killing Sabbath worshipers.  After a few minutes, the shooter attempted to exit the building and engaged in a gun battle with law enforcement, shooting two Pittsburgh police officers.  He retreated into the building and was eventually confronted by a small contingent of SWAT officers.  The suspect shot two more police officers in another gun battle and was then arrested. The suspect killed eleven members of the Tree of Life Synagogue and injured two.  The suspect shot four Pittsburgh police officers. This incident is now widely referred to as the Squirrel Hill mass shooting. A hate-filled Anti-Semitic committed this shooting, which targeted Jewish people at the synagogue.  According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Squirrel Hill shooting was the single most deadliest shooting targeting the Jewish community in the history of the United States. The shooter’s social media postings contained many hate-filled and Anti-Semitic statements.  He also told the police officers that he was trying to kill as many Jews as he could. This incident is a stark reminder that hate is still alive and well even in 2018.  This shooting also sparks…