Lt. Col. Anita S. Fraser is a 34-year Georgia law enforcement veteran with expertise in recruitment, training, policy review, and other executive leadership responsibilities. Initially aspiring to become an attorney, Lt. Col. Fraser earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice and law enforcement administration at Columbia Southern University. Instead of continuing her legal studies, she began working with her state’s department of corrections in 1989. She found herself drawn to law enforcement and corrections for the ability to see the legal system from a different angle and gain a more complete understanding of the work of prosecutors, attorneys and judges.
As she remained in the corrections field, Lt. Col. Fraser became aware of the many opportunities and paths for advancement that lay before her, and she transitioned into a more direct policing and law enforcement position with Cass County. In 2003, she joined the DeKalb County Police Department as a police crime analyst. She continued her work as a crime analyst until 2013, when she was named the assistant director of the DeKalb County Police Department Training Academy. She remained in her role as assistant director until 2020, when she became the Dekalb County Police Department Assistant Precinct Commander. The same year, Lt. Col. Fraser completed a Master of Laws in organizational leadership through Waldorf University.
Since 2021, Lt. Col. Fraser has been in her current position as a lieutenant colonel in the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, where she plans to remain and to continue to grow professionally within the department. Within five years, she hopes to rise to become a police chief within her department and looks forward to the expanded opportunities that the position will offer to allow her to positively impact the larger community. A natural leader, she is dedicated to helping others develop leadership and interpersonal skills and empowering others to use authority positions for the greater good. Lt. Col. Fraser is a certified police training instructor and has written for ICPC Magazine on core values in organizational leadership.
In her current role, Lt. Col. Fraser helps manage recruitment, including developing and implementing new processes and special initiatives. She is enthusiastic about the process of transitioning into new roles and helping move organizations forward through personnel development and change. Lt. Col. Fraser is interested in using her leadership capacity to help women and recruits from underserved communities find success through careers in law enforcement and to break down the industry’s history as a male-dominated space. Her professional philosophy is heavily influenced by her early career experiences working for judge Arthur Kaplan, and she credits her success to having good commanders and department leaders throughout her career. She considers her work mentoring others and helping train young future leaders to succeed and further the integrity of the field to be her greatest professional success.
In recognition of her continued professional excellence, Lt. Col. Fraser has been the recipient of Lieutenant of the Year and Sergeant of the Year awards. She is active in the ICPC, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, among other professional organizations. Outside her work in law enforcement, Lt. Col. Fraser helps manage the $100,000 annual operating budget for an area high school football team and enjoys spending time with her family, including her three sons.