COBB COUNTY - Cobb Public Safety Director Mickey Lloyd resigned Friday amid allegations he embellished his service in the Navy and lied about medals earned during the Vietnam War.

Lloyd turned in his signed letter of resignation, effective immediately, at 1:15 p.m. Friday, county spokesman Robert Quigley confirmed. Lloyd, 60, will receive seven-and-a-half years worth of pension benefits once he reaches the age of 65, as required by federal law, Quigley said. The county would not confirm if the resignation was forced.

In his letter of resignation, Lloyd wrote, "Recently, I have been the subject of attacks by the news media and various officials concerning my military service which has distracted me from providing my full time and efforts to service the residents of Cobb County as Director of Public Safety."

Lloyd's attorney, William McKenney with the Marietta law firm McKenney & Froelich, said, "Because of the issues raised, Mickey felt he couldn't do 100 percent of the job at hand. He was facing two battles: the protection of residents by the Cobb law enforcement agency and protection of the integrity of his reputation. And because he's on-call 24/7, he really wanted to retire so that he could spend more time with his family."

Newly elected Chairman Tim Lee said he was disappointed the issue "got to this point," but that it was "in the best interest of the county and department of public safety that he did what he did."

Lloyd's resignation comes almost six weeks after the Board of Commissioners received a letter from Byll Davis of Vinings, which accused Lloyd of lying about achievements and awards earned during his days his Navy in the late 60s. Lloyd maintains that he earned eight medals, including the Silver and Bronze stars; however, his official military records obtained by Hankerson only lists Lloyd as receiving the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.

The county requested Lloyd's military records after two different DD 214 military discharge forms were found in Lloyd's county personnel file, and Lloyd was unable to provide documentation to clear up the discrepancies. The county maintains that Lloyd, on March 22, gave the Department of Human Resources a DD 214 with only the two medals listed on it. Then, in mid-June, after the county received the letter alleging Lloyd has been dishonest about his military service, Lloyd gave the department the second DD 214, with the eight medals listed, to be "included in his personnel file," Quigley said.

Lloyd could face a number of charges if the Federal Bureau of Investigation determines he falsified his military records, specifically if he altered his DD 214 federal document.

Quigley said the county would hand over documents regarding Lloyd's military history if the FBI requests them.

"And we have confirmed that the FBI is aware of the issue," Quigley said. "The county has no plans at this time to actively ask the FBI to investigate the issue."

Lloyd, on Wednesday, gave a different account of how two DD 214s ended up in his file. He said he was given a DD 214, which listed the eight awards, in 1970, when he was 20 years old. He said he gave that form to the county in March for retirement purposes, but was asked for a certified copy, which he requested from the records center in St. Louis, "assuming it would be the same as the one I had all these years." He turned that in to the county without looking at it, he said, and that was the one that listed just the two medals.

Lloyd has also been accused of claiming he was a Navy SEAL, and has repeatedly been introduced at speaking engagements as being a SEAL and earning the Purple Heart. Neither achievements, however, were not noted in his military records, according to the county.

In a recorded interview with the Journal on July 8, Commissioner Helen Goreham said Lloyd has told her he was a SEAL.

"In the past, he had, that he served as a SEAL, yes," she said, adding that he told her he was a SEAL on numerous occasions, and that she often brought it up in discussions with Lloyd.

Smyrna City Councilman Wade Lnenicka said July 6 that Lloyd also told him he was a SEAL, and that Lloyd told Col. Ron Davis he earned the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars with the Valor device and the Purple Heart for his service. The information was included in a program for the Smyrna Memorial Day Service on May 31 and his introduction as a speaker.

On Wednesday, however, Lloyd said: "I never claimed to be a Navy SEAL; I never was a Navy SEAL." He also said he never received the Purple Heart.

Lloyd said Lnenicka was "incorrect," and that he attempted to correct the information before and after the ceremony. Lloyd, though, did not correct his introduction or the program detailing his service while speaking at the podium that day.

Lloyd also disputed several biographies county officials found on his computer after the Journal filed an Open Records Request for his biographical information. The biographies listed varying military accolades earned by Lloyd, including service as a SEAL and the receipt of the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Lloyd, who is not speaking to the media, has not determined if he will file a lawsuit against the county or anyone else involved in the allegations, his attorney said.

Lee and Commissioners Bob Ott and Woody Thompson commended Hankerson for the manner in which he handled the situation with Lloyd.

Lee said the situation raises some concerns, but said the county should not be punished for one person's actions.

"This was an individual, isolated, disappointing and unfortunate event that occurred with a man that was an excellent public safety director, but the county is still strong and carries with it great leadership."

Lloyd was hired as the county's public safety director in January of 2003. Prior to his service in Cobb, Lloyd served two years as deputy commissioner of Homeland Security. Lloyd retired as deputy chief of the Atlanta Police Department in 2000 after 29 years of service to the department.

Lee, Ott and Thompson said they would take a closer look at the position of director of public safety in the next few weeks to decide whom, if anyone, would replace Lloyd.

"We're going through the process right now with interviews for police chief and we need to deal with that first. We can look at whether we should replace the position after that," Ott said. "I thank him for his time with the county and it's time to move on."

Lee said, "We'll have to talk about that in days to come and consider the best approach given our current budget issues. We'll evaluate the position and make a decision in a week or two."

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Lloyd’s ‘retirement announcement’

I have spent almost 40 years in law enforcement devoting all my energy as well as my official and personal time to protecting and serving the residents of our state, including the last seven years serving as the Public Safety Director for Cobb County.

In my various law enforcement capacities I have always enjoyed a reputation for honesty, truthfulness and integrity. Recently, I have been the subject of attacks by the news media and various officials concerning my military service, which has distracted me from providing my full time and efforts to serving the residents of Cobb County as Director of Public Safety.

I certainly could continue to take time away from my position to fight these accusations, but the individuals who will ultimately suffer are the members of our Public Safety Department and our residents.

Therefore, at this time I am retiring and have tendered my resignation to the County. It has been an honor and a privilege serving the residents of Cobb County.

This 30th day of July, 2010.

Gary Michael Lloyd