Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, has announced the promotion of William “Billy” Hitchens, III from lieutenant, assistant Troop F commander, to captain, Troop I commander, with an effective date of Sept. 1.
In his new position, Captain Hitchens will be the commander of Georgia State Patrol operations in Troop I, which consists of 15 counties in coastal Georgia with posts in Rincon, Hinesville, Brunswick, Jekyll Island and Waycross.
In his former assignment in Troop F, he served as assistant troop commander over posts in Statesboro, Sylvania, Reidsville, Swainsboro, Helena and Dublin. He is in his 18th year with the Georgia State Patrol and has been previously assigned to the Thomson, Swainsboro and Statesboro posts.
He was the post commander of the Statesboro Post prior to his promotion to lieutenant.
Capt. Hitchens is a graduate of Effingham County High School where he was a four-year starter on the baseball team and a three-year starter on the football team. He played on the 1987 football team that went 14-1, winning the South Georgia Championship and finishing the season as the state runner-up in the largest classification in the GHSA. During the 1988 season he was named the WTOC-TV Football Player of the Week for his play in a game against Savannah High School. During his senior year he was elected president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
After graduation from Effingham County High School, Hitchens attended Georgia Southern University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University and he is a graduate of the Georgia Chiefs of Police Command College and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
In addition, he was the first chairman of the advisory board for the Ogeechee Technical College Regional Law Enforcement Academy where he continues to serve as a board member.
Capt. Hitchens is married to the former Angie Davis of Clyo and they have two children, Gracen and Will. He is the son of Bill and Norma Hitchens of Rincon.
