Its headquarters is located in unincorporated DeKalb County, near Decatur and in Greater Atlanta.

Staff Services is responsible for: Services Governor Eurith D. Rivers was instrumental in the creation of the department in March 1937, when a law was passed Act 220 creating the Georgia Department of Public Safety which included the Georgia State Patrol and a plainclothes investigative division called the Division of Identification, Detection, Prevention and Investigation which became the GBI in 1940.

As a result of passage of this Act and later amendments, on February 28, 1974, the GBI was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

As a child, Trent was abandoned and was forced to endure a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system.

His personal motivation and background contribute to Will Trent having the highest clearance rate in the GBI.