Lieutenant Shannon Parker leads the Family Protection Center at the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, which houses both the Special Victims Unit and the Domestic Violence Unit.

Lt. Parker began his law enforcement career with ACCPD in 2008, gaining recognition early on for his trauma-informed response to family violence. He served in both the Domestic Violence Unit and the Sexual Assault/Crimes Against Children Unit before being promoted to Sergeant in 2019 and Lieutenant in 2022.

In 2018, he was awarded the Law Enforcement Award by the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center for his compassionate and effective work with child sexual assault victims. Today, he leads a team of detectives and coordinates with community partners to ensure investigative integrity, survivor safety, and offender accountability.

Lt. Parker has completed more than 1,800 hours of law enforcement training, including over 350 hours focused on sexual assault and crimes against children. He has investigated nearly 700 major cases, ranging from homicides to internet crimes against children.

He currently serves a second term on the CJCC State Expert Committee and is deeply committed to mentoring new officers and ensuring that domestic violence and sexual assault cases are handled with expertise and integrity.