Build Positive Community Relations & Outreach
As the leader of any department, building trust between your department and the community should be a main priority. There are three important ways I’ve identified that will help build trust between the sheriff’s office and our community.
- Transparency & Accountability:
I understand that my job as your sheriff brings a deep sense of the community’s faith in me and immense responsibility. Therefore, I will ensure there is transparency and accountability within the sheriff’s office to preserve your trust and to guarantee our agency is functioning in a fair and impartial manner. To ensure transparency with the community, I will provide as much information about cases and emergency situations as possible while being careful not to risk the integrity of investigations or the safety of anyone involved. I will also introduce a new event called the community briefing, which will be held every year. At the community briefing, I will update our citizens on what has happened in the past year and future plans for the sheriff’s office. Citizens will also be informed of the budget for the sheriff’s office. Citizens can also ask questions and give their opinions and ideas for a better agency. Lastly, I will create a Sheriff’s Advisory Board that will consist of members of the community that will advise me on issues such as community engagement, public events, and administrative planning. The Board’s assistance will be vital in developing future comprehensive planning concerning the growth of the Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the needs of the community. I will also implement a true open door policy for all citizens, not just ones that serve me politically or personally! All citizens will be encouraged to come see me if they have any cares or concerns.
Regarding accountability, I will enact a policy that requires every deputy responding to calls for service to wear a body mic, and/or body camera. This will help to ensure deputies are performing their duties to the standard that our citizens deserve. It will also help to protect deputies and citizens from false complaints. I will also put a system in place that allows citizens that file a complaint to be able to track the outcomes of those complaints. If a deputy is found to be in violation of policy, you have my word the situation will be handled accordingly.
- Community Engagement:
Building a trusting relationship with the community is best achieved through meaningful outreach. To this end, I will introduce events such as Donuts with Deputies, inviting families to join local law enforcement at a bakery or coffee shop to discuss safety and decision-making. The Annual Fishing with the Law event will offer a day of food, fun, and fishing, fostering positive interactions with officers. The National Night Out will be celebrated with music, activities, and food from local vendors, enhancing police-community partnerships and neighborhood unity. Additionally, The Annual Community Briefing will provide transparency about the sheriff’s office operations, budget, and future plans, encouraging public input.
Through the Toombs County Sheriff's Foundation, a youth program will also be launched to reward at-risk youth for academic and behavioral achievements, promoting early positive development and intervention. This youth program is set to offer incentives to students for their educational and behavioral improvements, aiming to support positive growth and early intervention. This initiative will shine a light on those students whose efforts often remain unrecognized. Traditionally, recognition is given to students who excel academically, participate in prestigious clubs, or demonstrate outstanding conduct, for which recognition is well deserved. However, this program seeks to honor those who diligently work to raise their grades from an F to a D, or a D to a C, as well as those making the commendable switch from alternative school to mainstream education. By acknowledging their hard work, we aim to motivate them to stay on a path of improvement. In essence, this program is a holistic approach to bolstering encouragement and ensuring ongoing achievement. This forward-thinking strategy is dedicated to empowering our youth—the foundation of tomorrow—and to building safer communities by diminishing the likelihood of crime.
- Community Policing:
The bond between law enforcement and the community has faced challenges over the past two decades, leading to feelings of mistrust and disconnection. To address this, it’s crucial to implement effective policing strategies that build collaborative relationships with the communities we serve. Deputies will be encouraged to engage with residents, not just patrol neighborhoods. Our duties mostly patrol rural communities, but we also support city agencies, serve civil processes, and perform other tasks within city boundaries.
As part of my community policing initiative, deputies will be urged to interact with citizens while riding through neighborhoods on patrol. They will participate in local events, visit youth organizations, and engage with community members at various functions. As your sheriff, I am dedicated to the safety and well-being of every Toombs County resident, and I expect the same commitment from my deputies. You’ll find me actively involved in the community, listening to your concerns, and ensuring that I am a sheriff who truly serves the people.