Governor Brian Kemp announced last week that Lt. Colonel Robert Balkcom has been appointed to serve on the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board.
Balkcom currently works for the Georgia Department of Public Safety as the Lieutenant Colonel. He previously served as the South Adjutant of the Georgia State Patrol, overseeing the operations of Troops F, G, H, I, J, and K, as well as the South Nighthawks DUI Task Force, the Recruiting Unit, the Implied Consent Unit (ICU), the Criminal Interdiction Unit (CIU), the Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT), the State of Georgia SWAT Team, and four Communication Centers.
Created in 2021 by the Georgia legislature, the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Advisory Board is responsible for soliciting and reviewing applications for grants made available through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The Advisory Board makes recommendations to the CJCC for award. The appointment is for a four-year term.
Prior to assuming this role in 2020, Balkcom served as Troop F Commander. He began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the Savannah Police Department in 1992 and joined the Georgia State Patrol as a Trooper Cadet at Post 42 – Savannah in 1994. After graduating from the 71st Georgia State Patrol Trooper School in 1995, he was assigned to Post 42 – Savannah. Balkcom was promoted to Corporal at Post 45 – Statesboro in 2006. In 2009, he was selected as Commander of the newly formed Nighthawks South DUI Task Force and promoted to Sergeant in 2011. He advanced to Sergeant First Class at Post 11 – Hinesville in 2013, Lieutenant in Troop I in 2018, and Captain in Troop F in March 2020.
Balkcom graduated from Reidsville High School in 1987 and earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Georgia Southern University in 1991. He is also a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College and holds a master’s degree in public safety administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Nicole, have lived in Reidsville for the past 40 years and they have two sons.
