Sheriff Austin Garrett proudly serves you as the 60th Sheriff of Hamilton County, elected as a dedicated Conservative Republican.
Born and raised in Bryant, Alabama Sheriff Garrett became a resident of Hamilton County in 1993. Garrett is married to Pam McAllister-Garrett, and has two daughters, Haley and Madalyn. Together with his wife, he is an active member of Shelter Church on East Brainerd Rd.
In February of 2019, Sheriff Garrett was appointed to serve Hamilton County as the Chief Deputy by Sheriff Jim Hammond.
Prior to this leadership appointment, Sheriff Garrett served 25 years with the Chattanooga Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant where he was directly responsible for command of the Tactical and Traffic Operations Division as well as multi agency planning, managing, security, and safety of all major events held in Chattanooga.
Over the course of Sheriff Garrett’s career he has served as patrol officer, auto theft investigator, FBI Task Force Investigator, and special events supervisor. He has extensive experience in public safety partnerships along with large-scale event planning and management.
Sheriff Garrett is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 273, graduate of the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Bethel University.
Sheriff Garrett serves on the legislative committee of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association and 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.
Sheriff Garrett’s leadership is founded on professionalism, customer service, and forward-thinking innovation.
With an unwavering dedication to public safety and community well-being, he is committed to keeping Hamilton County the greatest place to live, work, and play.