Major Gale Higginbotham Graduates from FBI National Academy

RELEASE: Chief of Police A. A. Ayers is pleased to announce that Major Gale Higginbotham has graduated from the 258th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

The National Academy Program is an 11-week course of instruction, and covers advanced investigations, management, and fitness training. It is an elite program, sought after by law enforcement executives and management throughout the world. The 258th Session consisted of 215 men and women from 49 states, 26 international countries, 3 military organizations and 4 federal civilian organizations.

Major Gale Higginbotham holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from North Georgia College and State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. While obtaining her bachelor’s degree, Major Higginbotham served as a volunteer firefighter. She was interested in arson cases and took courses in arson investigations. This led her to a love for police work; she joined the Gwinnett County Police Department soon after. Major Higginbotham has served the citizens of Gwinnett County as a police officer since 1996.

Major Higginbotham has worked in the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) as a detective in the Robbery Unit and later returned as a sergeant in charge of the Burglary Unit. She was a member of the DUI Unit as a corporal and later returned to supervise the unit as a sergeant. As a lieutenant, Major Higginbotham spent three years supervising the Motorcycle Unit and the Accident Investigation Unit. During the same time period, she was active in the Traffic Incident Management Task Force for the metro Atlanta area.

Major Higginbotham also worked with teams from the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and the local health department to improve and implement emergency plans. Major Higginbotham has worked in the Uniform Division (patrol) at various times throughout her career, in all of the ranks she has held.

Major Higginbotham has a passion for drivers training. Early in her career, she became a Georgia POST certified instructor and later specialized in driver training. She has assisted the GCPD Academy with training new recruits and in-service drivers’ training for the entire department. She continues to share her knowledge and experience at the Academy to this day. Major Higginbotham is currently the precinct commander of West Precinct.

For more information on the FBI National Academy Program, please visit http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/training/national-academy.