Timya Robinson is first Black female captain of the Atlanta Public Schools police

Timya Robinson, an Atlanta Public Schools police officer, recently made history after she was promoted to captain. Per WSB-TV, her promotion makes her the APS police’s first Black female captain. 

In an interview with the news outlet, Captain Robinson said she believes her promotion will positively impact young girls. Prior to joining APS in 2018, Robinson initially worked as a street officer at a local police agency. During that period, she set goals to positively influence young people and help them to develop goals and mindsets that would guarantee a successful future.

“It was very rewarding to come over to the school police and work with the children and be able to have those sit-down conversations such as, ‘What do you plan on doing with your life?’ You know you can make a difference. You can make a change now. Every day is a day for a change,” Robinson said. 

She also said the thought of being promoted to a rank higher than sergeant never crossed her mind, adding that she made sure she did her best when she was leading her team.

“If you’re gonna be in charge, be in charge ya know?” Make sure that you are doing your best and being your best self and being the best example for those looking upon you,” said Robinson.

Touching on what happened after she got to know she had been promoted, Robinson said, “First thing I did was tell my daughters and they were jumping up and down rushing me saying OMG, mom you’re a boss! I said OK, now it’s real.”

Sgt. Daniel Lomax of the Atlanta Public Schools police also told WSB-TV that Robinson is worthy of the promotion. “Leadership doesn’t have a gender. Leadership is about character and Capt. Robinson has that character and so it’s not hard to follow her,” Lomax said.