Duluth Police Lieutenant Retires After 19 Years

Lt. Bill Stevens, who led the Duluth Police Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Division, has retired after 19 years with the Duluth Police Department.

His retirement, which was effective Dec. 19, concluded 36 years of continuous public safety service in Gwinnett County.

Besides his employment with Duluth PD (1993-2012), he served with Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services (1976-2006), and the City of Buford Volunteer Fire Department (1977-1980). He also was a member of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Reserve (1990-1993),

“My time with the city of Duluth has been very enjoyable, and I owe the credit to successes within Community Policing to Chief Randy Belcher, who believed in the work we did and trusted my ‘thinking out of the box’ in developing programs,” Stevens said. “I also owe a great deal of credit to the officers who ran the programs. I am honored to have worked along beside some of the most dedicated officers in the state.”

Stevens plans to continue to volunteer with Operation One Voice, an organization he founded in 2002 to assist families of fallen and wounded Special Operations Forces. 

He also designed and developed the statewide Operation Drive Smart safe driving program for teens (2000-2012).

During his career, he has been recognized for his dedicated service. His awards include:

• Gwinnett Bar Association – Police Officer of the Year 2000
• Gwinnett Chamber – Public Safety Officer of the Year 2005
• American Legion – GA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2006  
• American Legion – New England Region Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2006
• American Legion – National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2006 – Runner-up
• Gwinnett Chamber – 2007 Medal of Merit

~ Duluth Patch