By By Adam Prestridge
Former Atmore Police Department chief Danny McKinley continues to serve and protect his hometown community proudly.
Only now, the veteran officer wears a suit and tie, while serving as the statewide law enforcement coordinator for Alabama Attorney General Troy King, a position he has held since February 2002.
Last week, McKinley was elected as the 2007 chairman of the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) Commission, which will allow him to continue to serve in the forefront to improve the technology state, local and federal criminal justice agencies currently use.
"I'm honored," McKinley said. "No. 1 because I love law enforcement and the ACJIC is a service-oriented state agency. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that I could chair such an important board as it relates to law enforcement and that benefits law enforcement as this agency does. I will serve it with pride and look forward to working with the entire staff and board at the ACJIC. It's overwhelming, but I'm going to take it in stride."
McKinley was elected chairman by the 21-member supervisory board during its quarterly meeting held Jan. 25. He will lead the ACJIC Commission as it establishes policies and rules governing the state technology agency providing mission-critical data services to all law enforcement agencies.
"I've served on the committee for about four years and seen a lot of progress being made and through my service I hope to continue with that progress," McKinley said.
McKinley said one of the biggest projects the ACJIC has recently been working on is the new uniform incident/offense report. He said law enforcement agencies across the state are currently in a transition period, some using the old reports and others using the new. He said the transition will be complete and the reports implemented by January 2008.
"We're also in the process of making the data that is available to law enforcement not only on the in-car computers, but on hand-held devices so they can have information while they are in the field."
During his first four years, McKinley said the commission has received national recognition for some of their current projects. He also pointed out that Alabama is the first state where law enforcement agencies can access driver's license information and photo from any personal computer. Criminal history can also be obtained at the click of a mouse, which McKinley said is the sole purpose of the commission, making information needed by law enforcement easily accessible and at their fingertips.
"When you first get into law enforcement, it's all about the basics, taking reports and serving warrants," McKinley said. "The longer you stay in it, the more you get to learn. I was fortunate to have a lot of good mentors along the way that have helped me and I appreciate them for giving me the opportunities that I had and preparing me for what I'm doing now."
McKinley served the City of Atmore as chief of police from 1996 until 2002 and assistant chief of police from 1994 until 1996. With more than 21 years of law enforcement experience, McKinley also served as a deputy for the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff's Office from 1985 until 1994.
In 2006, McKinley was the vice chairman of the ACJIC Commission and led its Privacy and Security Committee as it studied the privacy and security implications of criminal justice information and recommended policy to the commission concerning its collection, storage, dissemination, or usage, according to the ACJIC's Web site.
McKinley, who earned a bachelor's degree from Troy University in criminal justice administration, and his wife, Kathy, are the parents of one daughter, Jessie, and reside in Atmore. He is the son of Bill and Belle Whitehead of Atmore.