Born and raised in Bryant, Alabama Austin Garrett became a resident of Hamilton County in 1993. Austin is married to Pam McAllister-Garrett, and has two daughters, Haley and Madalyn. Together with his wife, Austin is an active member of Shelter Church on East Brainerd Rd.
In February of 2019, Austin was appointed to serve our community as the Sheriff Office’s Chief Deputy by Sheriff Jim Hammond. He is directly responsible for the administration of all Sheriff’s Office day to day operations.
Prior to this leadership appointment, Austin served 25 years with the Chattanooga Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant. Austin was responsible for command of the Tactical and Traffic Operations Division.
Over the course of Austin’s career he has served as patrol officer, auto theft investigator, FBI Task Force Investigator, and special events supervisor. Austin has extensive experience in public safety partnerships along with large-scale event planning and management.
During his last nine years with the CPD, Austin was directly responsible for multi agency planning, managing, security, and safety at all major events held in the city of Chattanooga. These events included the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, the U.S.A. Pro-Cycling Championships, and the annual Riverbend Music Festival.
Austin is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 273, graduate of the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, and holds a degree in criminal justice from Bethel University.
Within our community, Austin serves as a board member for the Forgotten Child Fund. A volunteer organization who provides gifts to over 10,000 local children every Christmas. He also serves as a board member for YCAP. YCAP is a volunteer arm of the YMCA which focuses on early intervention and prevention programs from youth ages 10-15.