Commissioner : Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Office of Professional Standards (OPS) promotes six

FORSYTH, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Homer Bryson announced the promotion of six GDC employees to Assistant Special Agents in Charge (ASAC), effective July 16, 2016. The new agents will serve the OPS Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Criminal Investigations Unit, Statewide Internal Investigations Unit, and the Statewide Special Investigations Unit.

“We are excited to announce the newest additions to our apprehension and investigations units,” said Commissioner Bryson. “Strengthening these units will allow us to continue to increase our methods to protect the public and ensure the safe operations of our facilities.” 

Congratulations to the following GDC staff: 

Jeffrey Wessel promoted to ASAC of the Fugitive Apprehension Unit 

Wessel began his career in law enforcement in 1995 as a Correctional Officer at Wilcox State Prison. In 1998, he was promoted to a Fugitive Agent and was assigned to the Middle Georgia Fugitive Squad. He completed the following departmental training: Professional Management Program, Advanced Management Training, and Corrections Leadership Institute. He is also a graduate of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent Academy. 

June Collins promoted to ASAC of the Southwest Criminal Investigations Unit 

Collins began her law enforcement career in 2005 as a Police Officer with the Valdosta Police Department. In 2010, she was promoted to Detective in the Persons Crimes Unit and was later assigned to the South Georgia Drug Task Force. She left the task force in 2012, to become the Alapaha Circuit Drug Court Coordinator. In 2015, she joined the GDC Office of Professional Standards’ Criminal Investigations unit as a Special Agent in the Southwest region. Collins earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice from Ashford University and has a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from Walden University. She is also a graduate of the GBI Special Agent Academy.

Aleticia Cardenas – ASAC of the Statewide Internal Investigations Unit 

Cardenas began her law enforcement career in 2002 as an Officer/Narcotics Detective with the Fulton County Police Department. In 2006, she joined GDC as an Investigator with the Office of Investigation and Compliance (now known as OPS) and was selected to represent the agency on the Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. After returning from HIDTA, she was reassigned to the North region as an Investigator. Cardenas holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University and is a graduate of the GBI Special Agent Academy.

John Moore, Jr. – ASAC of the Southeast Criminal Investigations Unit 

Moore began his law enforcement career in 1995 as a Patrol Officer with the Lyons Police Department. During his six-year tenure with Lyons PD, he was promoted to Criminal Investigator and Supervisor/Criminal Investigator. In 2001, he joined the GDC Inmate Affairs Unit as an Investigator. He was promoted, in 2005, to Criminal Investigator in the newly formed GDC Criminal Intelligence Unit. Moore transferred to the Internal Investigations Unit in 2012. Three years later, he became a Special Agent in the Criminal Investigations Unit. Moore holds a Associates of Arts in Law Enforcement and a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Thomas University. He is also a graduate of the GBI Special Agent Academy.

Tomekia Jordan – ASAC of the North Regional Criminal Investigations Unit 

Jordan began her law enforcement career in 1999 as a Correctional Officer at Augusta State Medical Prison. In 2006, she was promoted to Administrative Assistant to the Warden at Scott State Prison. Jordan was promoted, in 2009, to Behavioral Specialist at Washington State Prison. In 2011, she was promoted to Criminal Investigator in the Office of Investigations and Compliance (now known as OPS). Jordan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Counseling/Psychology from Troy University. She is also a graduate of the GBI Special Agent Academy.

Lerrod Freeman – ASAC of the Statewide Special Investigations Unit

Freeman began his law enforcement career as a Correctional Officer at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in 2005. He was promoted, in 2006, to Probation Officer II and four years later moved up to Probation Officer III with the Probation Division. Later in 2010, Freeman was promoted to Criminal Investigator in the Office of Investigations and Compliance (now known as OPS). In 2011, he was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Task Force Officer with the Atlanta Field Division Strike Force Group. Freeman holds a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Corrections from Albany State University. He is also a graduate of the GBI Special Agent Academy.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.