"Since law enforcement agencies began partnering with citizens through community policing, we've seen significant drops in crime rates."
- John Ashcroft

Gloria Byrd

Gloria has worked in the criminal justice system for over thirty years as a police officer (Washington D.C.); a probation officer (Washington D.C and Houston, Texas); a college instructor (University of South Carolina & Harford Community College in England and Germany). She is one of the first two females to receive an award for a serious felony arrest with the DC Police Department and participated in the nation's first study on “Women in Policing” prepared by The Police Foundation. After moving to Atlanta , Ms. Byrd worked for thirteen years with the Atlanta Police Department as a crisis counselor responding to domestic calls with officers and providing training for new recruits as well as in-service training on crisis intervention in the police academy.

As a licensed Clinical Social Worker, she is the principle owner of Family Advocacy Counseling and Training Center , P.C. with military contracts. For over eleven years, she was a part of the development and instruction of the Army and Marine's Family Violence course for Military police. She introduced the officers to conflict resolution and mediation along with their course in crisis intervention. At the present, Ms. Byrd is working full-time as the Director of an Employee Assistance Program for Integrated Health Resources LLC, a corporation with offices in Augusta and Atlanta .

A graduate of Wilberforce University and Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work, she obtained a masters degree in community planning and program development leading to certification as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Gloria has also completed forty-two hours of postgraduate studies in the criminal justice doctoral program at Sam Houston State University , Huntsville , Texas prior to moving to Atlanta . Ms Byrd has appeared on CNN and local networks discussing law enforcement training and their response to household violence. She served as one of several consultants developing a training module for California 's Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training on Domestic Violence. Gloria has presented at social service and law enforcement conferences across the country.