New Georgia parole board member sworn in

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The newest member of Georgia's parole board has been sworn in.

A news release from the State Board of Pardons and Paroles says David Herring was sworn in Tuesday. Herring's appointment to the board was effective Aug. 1.

Before he was appointed to the board, Herring served as a lieutenant colonel with the state Department of Public Safety, where he started as a state trooper in 1994. In that role, he managed security details for the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House and chief justice.

The parole board has five voting members who serve staggered seven-year terms. The parole board can grant paroles, pardons, commutations and reprieves. It's the only authority in the state that can commute a death sentence.