Towns Detention Center inmate tests positive, officers under quarantine

Health, News, Police & Government
Towns County Detention Center Inmate

TOWNS COUNTY, Ga – COVID-19 has flared up in Towns County Detention Center with one inmate testing positive on April 21 and four officers quarantining themselves.

Towns County Sheriff’s Office listed a timeline of events on their Facebook page on April 24 detailing procedures since the initial government shutdown.

On April 19, an inmate was transported to Union General Hospital for treatment, and on April 21, the sheriff’s office received confirmation that the inmate had tested positive for COVID-19.

“All Sheriff’s Office personnel who were tasked with providing security on him at the hospital were provided with PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) to use during their assigned shifts and reminded to practice the recommended 6-foot buffer zone,” stated Towns Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Clinton

Towns County Sheriff’s Office released details concerning positive COVID-19 inmate.

Law enforcement also consulted with the health department to follow COVID-19 protocols, which as of April 11 state that any essential worker potentially exposed to the virus can continue to work if not exhibiting symptoms, wear a facemask, and maintain six feet of distance from all coworkers.

Officers exposed to the confirmed inmate case are considered low risk by the health department if they followed CDC and Georgia Public Health Department guidelines. However, officers displaying COVID-19 symptoms move into the high-risk category.

On April 23, the detention center was sanitized by a company approved by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, while sheriff’s administrative office received cleaning on April 24 from County Emergency Management.

According to the sheriff’s office, the jail inmate area is cleaned three times daily since March 16. Also, all incoming inmates and detention center staff are screened for COVID-19.

Also, two detention center officers received COVID-19 testing on April 23 after experiencing mild symptoms. They are awaiting results while quarantining at home.

On April 24, two more officers were presenting symptoms and are in quarantine. One individual has taken the test, and the other is awaiting approval to take it.

According to the sheriff’s office, health department personnel explained that only law enforcement individuals with COVID-19 symptoms will receive a test.

The statement ended with, “The Sheriff’s Office has and will continue to take all recommended precautions and guidelines from the health department, GEMA, and CDC to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to the community, inmates, and staff.”

Fetch Your News will update this story as more information becomes available.

On-Scene Exclusive: Towns County holds active shooter drill, tests medical response

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Towns County EMS

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Realistic is the most accurate adjective to describe an active shooter drill which took place in Towns County on the morning of Friday, May 3, 2019. The full-scale training, directed jointly by the Georgia Mountains Healthcare Coalition and the Northeast Georgia Health System, was designed primarily to test the response of emergency medical providers.

Towns County active shooter drill

A Towns County deputy stands beside a subdued “shooter”

The mock scenario took place outside of Dr. Samuel Church’s office, located behind Zaxby’s restaurant, off State Route 76 in eastern Hiawassee. “Victims” were staged – complete with graphic, cosmetic injuries – at various points throughout the crime scene. Some were in open view, while others were in less obvious locations. The narrative, previously reported by FYN, read that two, escaped inmates – members of the brutal “Ghostface Gang” – shot innocent bystanders outside of the medical provider’s office.

Towns County EMS

A young “gunshot victim” awaits emergency medical treatment

At 9:11 am, Towns County 911 dispatched emergency responders to the scene of the simulated crisis. Within one minute, law enforcement officers from Hiawassee Police Department and Towns County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the masacre, blocking the roadway with patrol vehicles before “fatally” subduing two shooters in skilled succession. One the threat had been neutralized, four Towns County Sheriff’s deputies secured a perimeter around the scene, and Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith could be seen directing a hysterical actor to a suitable location. Along with civilians, a law enforcement officer was said to have been “fatally shot” during the mock attack.

Towns County EMS

Brandi Garrett, a resident of Hayesville, volunteered to play the role of a fatally injured “victim”

Towns County Fire and Rescue responders soon arrived at the location, lights flashing and sirens screaming, rendering aid while triaging “victims” according to the severity of their injuries. “Victims” who were fatally wounded were quickly tagged to alert incoming responders of their expired conditions.

Towns County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) raced to the crisis, providing urgent treatment on multiple casualties. Three ambulances transported the “victims” to Chatuge Regional Hospital in Hiawassee, and three of the “patients” warranted an air-flight to trauma centers. FYN spoke with EMS Director Ken Nicholson during the drill as he assisted a role-player who suffered a gunshot wound to the abdominal area. “The training was laid out good,” the lead paramedic said. “The victims were scattered in different places, and it went well, working with available resources.”

“I think it went well,” agreed Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith, once the exercise had concluded. “It was about as realistic as we could have hoped. While the drill was designed mainly to test medical response, the addition of law enforcement created an authentic scenario. The drill was realistic, and the stress involved helped induce the right mindset.” Chief Smith was the commanding officer of the drill, as it occurred within the city’s jurisdiction. Smith explained that in a real-life situation at that particular location, Main Street would have been partitioned to eliminate traffic, and the media would have likely been staged at a nearby plaza. Georgia Bureau of Investigation would have been tasked with investigating the tragic scene. Towns County Sheriff’s Captain Jim Couch explained that the Towns County Courthouse and Towns County Schools simulated a lock-down for the sake of security during the drill.

Towns County Fire and Rescue

Towns County Fire and Rescue prepares a “victim” for transport

Towns County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Brandon Walls observed the agencies’ response techniques, noting areas that could benefit from additional training. Walls described the drill as “quality,” adding that EMA plans to “hotwash” items with the fire department. Clearview at Chatuge Clinic Director Wendell Farmer was present throughout the exercise, along with registered nurse and paramedic, Sherry Minchew, an artistic participant who created the detailed, physical effects on the “injured” role-players.

An active shooter drill was simultaneously held in Blairsville at the farmers market venue, with “patient” transports arriving at Union General Hospital.

Feature Photo: Towns County EMS transports a “gunshot victim” to an awaiting ambulance for treatment

 

Full scenario for upcoming Towns-Union active shooter training

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active shooter drill

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Officials are in the process of planning a full-scale emergency response drill in Towns and Union Counties, consisting of a prison break and active shooter scenario. Meetings were held April 15, and today, April 24, at the Emergency Operations Center in Blairsville. The exercise is scheduled Friday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The drill is directed jointly by the Georgia Mountains Healthcare Coalition and the Northeast Georgia Health System. The purpose is to review local and regional coordination in an effort to address preparedness gaps and identify areas for improvement in response to an active shooter scenario. Locations of the training will include a Hiawassee doctor’s office and Union County Farmers Market. Medical response evaluations will occur at Chatuge Regional and Union General Hospitals. Multiple “casualties” and “fatalities” will ensue during the mock crisis.

The focus in Towns and Union Counties is to review the response, coordination and communications among community partners.  To the extent possible, organizers asking for emergency agencies to participate as much as possible considering their own available resources.  The more effort that is exhibited towards situational realism, the better the training, the manual for the drill reads.

The dramatization script accompanying the training follows:

“Local law enforcement within the Georgia Mountain Health Care Coalition has noticed as significant increase in crime and the number of local incarcerated prisoners associated with the ‘Ghostface Gangsters’ – This gang originated within the Georgia prison system, but has expanded into the free world.

“The Ghostface Gangsters are very violent and will not hesitate to shoot anyone.  The Anti-Defamation League has described it as white supremacist organization with a few select black members.  The crimes of the group are especially heinous with no boundaries of violence.  They are linked to the recent killing of two Georgia correctional officers and were able to escape in a prison work bus.

“Over the past week, there have been two additional carefully planned and successful prison escapes; each group included several of the Ghostface gang associates.  Prisoner sightings have been confirmed and eye witnesses indicate the movement to be in a northeastwardly direction.”

Scenario Update:  “It is a beautiful May spring morning in Blue Ridge, GA with the temperature at about 60F.  9-1-1 reports that a dark sedan and one green Toyota Tundra pickup have been “car-jacked”.  The car was commandeered at the Blue Ridge McDonalds on Highway 515 and the truck was taken at gunpoint just a half mile away in the Home Depot parking lot.  The victim at Home Depot said he was overtaken by 2 shaved-head white guys with multiple facial and body tattoos.  The McDonald’s victim reported two assailants.  One was a female about 150 lbs. with short black hair.  She reportedly helped a big white guy over-power him and steal his sedan at McDonalds.  The sedan headed east towards Blairsville and the truck taken at Home Depot seemed to be heading the same direction.  An “all-points” BOLO was issued at about 0925 and landline direct calls were made to law enforcement at Fannin, Union and Towns County Sheriff’s offices.  A police alert was issued with the BOLO advertizing the seriousness of these sky-jacking.  These robbers represented a potential threat to life or great bodily harm to anyone in their way; they were seen with tactical type weapons and high capacity magazines.

“An estimated time of 0945, the sedan was noticed at the Farmer’s Market in Blairsville and not long thereafter, the green Toyota pickup was spotted entering the area of 85 Seasons Ln – Dr. Church’s parking lot.  It was later known that cell phones had been taken from the auto victims and the two groups were coordinating a rendezvous in Hiawassee or Hayesville, NC.

“In Blairsville, the Market was busy with vendors setting up booths and putting out various products.  As the escapees were walking toward the covered market area, they began firing at random.  Vendors and on-lookers began scattering in all directions with countless numbers of shots being fired.  Also, Fridays is a busy day at the Church Clinic in Hiawassee. This is the time for follow up visits and renewing of pharmacy prescriptions.  The two escapees were seeking drugs and they knew the clinic had them on site.  They entered the clinic with weapons waving and began shooting employees and patients while demanding access to the drugs.  Both locations were now in a heightened state of shock and chaos.

“A few minutes after the initial commotion, the gunman at the Farmer’s Market jumped into their vehicle to elude law enforcement.  The perpetrators in Hiawassee were taking an inordinate amount of time by methodically shooting innocent victims as they were trying to escape the office and parking area.

Scenario Update:: “Local law enforcement was alerted to the situation at both locations.  Blairsville PD and UCSO had stopped all traffic on GA Highway 515 at the new market area entrance and blocked the intersection at Weaver Road which was a spur access to the market.  As police were advancing on the parking area, they engaged the two gunmen firing from the escaping vehicle.  Heavy gun fire ensued causing serious collateral damage.  Multiple casualties were lying in and around the grounds of the market.  After a few minutes, there was almost deadly silence; it appeared that both gunmen in the vehicle had been stopped through the police action.

“Hiawassee PD and TCSO were closing in on the clinic based on eyewitnesses seeing a very suspicious Toyota truck with people holding guns in the parking lot.  Law enforcement blocked all access in and out of the clinic and stopped traffic on Main Street.  As a tactical maneuver was progressing towards the area, officers realized something terrible was happening.  They heard shooting noises and witnessed people scattering in all directions.  Police quickened their advance and started closing-in on the truck where they noticed what appeared to be the female alleged perpetrator waiting in the vehicle.  She was in the driver’s seat and began to quickly move the vehicle towards the exit.  Her associate was still outside the truck.  When he saw the police, he began firing in their direction.  This spawned the same action from the female as she started shooting at officers but she was quickly neutralized.  At the same time, the associate continued to advance on foot while shooting wildly at anyone and anything to include  law enforcement.   The pursuing gunman was now forcing “death by cop”.  He began running faster towards the officers while firing the remaining rounds in his weapon.  His desires were met!”

Scenario Update: Recovery “It did not take long for the local and national news networks to have helicopters and broadcast news vehicles in route to both locations.  Initial reports were erratic but it was unofficially released that Blairsville had 5 dead and 10 injured not including the alleged perpetrators.

“The Hiwassee scene remained in a panic mode for awhile but one officer was severely wounded and at first count, 6 were known dead, 4 in critical condition and 5 with unknown injuries.  Both gunmen (one female and male) were dead at the scene in the parking area of the Ingles store.

“At about 1110 hours, EMS and other first responders were allowed at the scene after both facilities were cleared and determined to be of no further threat.  Some victims were triaged and treated at the scene while all others were transported to Union General and Chatuge hospitals.  Erlanger was providing airlift capability and transporting the more severe to Chatanooga. Clay and Cherokee County EMS were providing all the resources available.”

Local law enforcement, fire and rescue crews, and emergency medical staff will participate in the drill. “The exercise is written with the healthcare organizations goals in mind, but it offers an opportunity for the community to be involved for training and skill development within the discipline of each group,” the situational manual explains.  “The National Planning Scenarios and the establishment of the National Preparedness Priorities have steered the focus of homeland security toward a capabilities-based approach.  Capabilities-based planning focuses on planning under uncertainty, since the next danger or disaster can never be forecast with complete accuracy.  Therefore, capabilities-based planning takes an all-hazards approach to planning and preparation that builds on capabilities which can be applied to a wide variety of incidents.”

Cop turned professor recounts angelic rescue after crash

Featured Stories

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Near-death experiences have a way of directing lives toward a destiny that was unknown prior to the encounter, and coupled with a spiritual revelation, the results can be profound. That proved to be the case for Dr. Anthony Sirianni. For the first time in 16 years, the criminal justice professor from North Georgia Technical College publicly shared his story of a second chance at life, at the hands of an angel, with the Mountain Movers and Shakers, Friday, May 3, 2019.

Anthony Sirianni

Dr. Anthony Sirianni

Dr. Sirianni moved to sunny Sarasota at the age of 18 by a test a faith. The now-professor told the story of how he closed his happy-go-lucky eyes and pressed a push pin toward a map of Florida, soon to set path on a journey far from home. Anthony knew from the tender age of six what he wanted to become some day; a police officer, a knowing built from a childhood experience when a small town chief helped the lost and fearful boy find his way home. Anthony’s 28 year career in law enforcement began as a corrections officer at the Sarasota County Detention Center, graduating to patrolling the streets of Florida’s west coast at the age of 21. Life was good, and life pressed on.

On the evening of Feb. 8, 2003, at two minutes before midnight, however, the K-9 officer’s life was forever changed. Anthony was driving his patrol vehicle, during what he thought would be a routine shift, when he saw headlights quickly approaching in his lane of traffic. The head-on collision was so fierce that the engine block of his assigned Chevrolet Tahoe was launched through the windshield. The intoxicated driver of the oncoming vehicle had suffered the repercussions of her third DUI.

As Professor Sirianni recounted what followed, the audience at Sundance Grill sat spellbound by his emotive words. Though physically unconcious, Anthony vividly recalled an unseen force taking hold of his shoulders, pulling him from the mangled wreckage, while hearing the phrase, “It’s not time.” The officer was laid to rest by the spirit in a patch of nearby bushes, and witnessed the arrival of first responders. Firefighters hung their heads, looking down upon his battered body in sorrow, telling one another that there was no way that the K-9 officer could possibly survive. “I wasn’t ejected,” Tony explained, stiffling sentiment. “How did I get out of the car?”

Anthony’s first thoughts were of his canine, and throughout the out-of body experience, the officer recalled pleading with medical crews to tend to his beloved dog, Amazingly, Anthony’s partner suffered but a fractured tail. Anthony was less fortunate, however, enduring months of painful surgeries to heal his shattered bones. Throughout his recovery, Anthony knew with doubt that his life had been spared to serve a greater purpose, and he knew he must venture on. In 2015, the officer retired from active law enforcement, attended college,  and earned an eventual doctorate’s degree. The cop turned criminal justice professor believes, heart and soul, that his life was “saved to touch lives.” Anthony recounted an example of a drug addicted woman who once begged for treatment as he served as a narcotic sergeant, prior to retirement. The officer answered the addict’s plea for change, and reported that the woman successfully turned her life around, passing forward the grace that she was granted.

Dr. Sirianni explained that his newfound purpose exceeded law enforcement and teaching criminal justice, however. “We’re here to care for each other. It’s beyond partisanship. It’s beyond politics,” the professor confided. Anthony concluded his talk by adding that police officers are stigmatized as tough and unwilling to share their vunerable sides with all but their inner circle. While Anthony struggled to repress rightful emotion while expressing his experience, the professor relayed that it was a story that needed to be told.

Questions from the attentive group followed, with one guest asking what could be done to lessen the negative press associated with law enforcement officers in this day and age. The teacher replied in part, “There’s so much (good) that doesn’t make the paper.”

The collective mood was measurable as the weekly meeting adjourned, with guests commenting to one another on how fascinating the subject matter had been. Friends could be overheard discussing their own past encounters with angels. One thing is for certain, lives were altered that May morning as a result of hearing Anthony’s truth

Senator David Perdue Addresses Peace Officers Association Of Georgia

State & National

Hiawassee Police Department – Year in Review

City Police, News

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith presented the department’s 2018 activity statistics during the first city council meeting of the new year, Jan. 28.

In 2018, 1,142 traffic stops were conducted by Hiawassee Police Department, with the most activity occurring in July. Smith relayed that the summer spike was due to the Hands-Free Georgia Act. As a result of the traffic stops, 681 tickets were issued, 362 written warnings were given, and hundreds of verbal warnings were extended.

Hiawassee Police Department

Hiawassee Police Department arrest statistics

Last year, the city police department made 118 arrests, 21 of which were misdemeanor drug violations, and 16 were cited as felony drug offenses. The remainder of the arrests amounted to 11 felonies and 70 misdemeanors. According to data, there were 98 fewer arrests made in 2018 than in 2017. Likewise, fewer drug arrests occurred in 2018 than the prior year. Of the 118 arrests, Smith informed that 80 of the arrests were the result of traffic stops, accounting for half of felony arrests.

Hiawassee Police Department

Hiawassee Police Department

A total of 335 reports were filed in 2018, consisting of 205 incident reports, 87 accident reports, 32 miscellaneous reports, five domestic violence cases, and two juvenile reports.

While the statistics show that criminal activity has decreased, Hiawassee Police Department remains vigilant in their duties, a reasonable explaination as to why there has been a reduction in arrests. “It’s good to see numbers drop in law enforcement,” Chief Smith said.

(Graphics courtesy of Hiawassee Police Department)

 

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Fetching Features: a look at Gilmer Sheriff Stacy Nicholson

Community

Out of 159 sheriffs in the Sheriff’s Association, nine serve as regional vice-presidents. Then, there is the executive board with a first vice president, second vice-president,  secretary/treasurer, and the president of the Sheriff’s Association.

This year, the position of president is filled by Gilmer County’s own Sheriff Stacy Nicholson.

After serving for six years as a regional vice president, Nicholson ran for the position of secretary/treasurer in 2015. Having been elected to that position, the process continued as the elected person will serve in all positions until he reaches and concludes with the presidency. A process that Nicholson says helps to prepare that person for the presidency as he gains experience and service throughout each other position.

But this is more than just a presidency as it sets his future in the Association on the Board of Directors. While he has served on the board in previous years as a regional vice president, his election in 2015 placed him permanently on the board as long as he serves as sheriff. This is because the Board of Directors is made up of the four Executive Board members, the current regional vice presidents, and the past presidents of the association.

Our sheriff’s progress along this path was not always so clear, though. He began at 19-years-old when he took a job at the jail. Nicholson says he wasn’t running around as a kid playing “sheriff” or anything that would have preceded his life in law enforcement. He had never considered the career until his mother made a call one day and got him a position in the jail in March of 1991. In a process that only took one weekend, the young man went from needing a part-time job and searching for something to fill that need to an on-the-clock deputy working and training at the Detention Center on March 3.

There was no training seminars to attend, no special certifications to obtain. He simply spoke with Sheriff Bernhardt on the phone as the interview, showed up to collect his uniform, and began work the next day.

Even then, it was never a thought in Nicholson’s mind about the position of sheriff. Instead, he began immediately looking at the next level of law enforcement, a deputy. More specifically, he began striving to become a deputy-on-patrol. Serving daily at the jail led to a quick “training” as he dealt with situations and convicts, but it was also short-lived.

Six months after entering the detention center, he achieved his goal and secured his promotion.

To this day, Stacy Nicholson holds true to his thoughts, “Anybody who wants to be in local law enforcement, where they’re out patrolling the streets of a community, they ought to start out in the jail because you’re locked up in a building for 8-12 hours every day with inmates.”

The situation quickly teaches you, according to Nicholson, how to handle situations, criminal activity, and convicts. It is how he likes to hire deputies as he says it “makes or breaks them.” It allows the department to see if that person can handle the life the way they want it handled. More than just handling difficult situations, though, it is a position of power over others that will show if you abuse the power while in a more contained and observed environment.

Though his time in the detention center was “eye-opening” and an extreme change from his life to that point, Nicholson actually says the part of his career that hit the hardest was his time as a deputy.

The life became more physically demanding as he began dealing with arrests, chases, and the dangers of responding to emergencies and criminal activity. However, it also became more mentally taxing as Nicholson realized the best tool for most situations was his own calm demeanor. That calm sense could permeate most people to de-escalate situations.

Nicholson relates his promotion out of the jail as similar to the inmates he watched over. He says, “It was almost a feeling like an inmate just released from six months confinement. He feels free, I felt free. I’m in a car, I’m a deputy sheriff… I can go anywhere I want to in this county.”

Nicholson’s high point of the promotion was shattered quickly, though, with one of the first calls to which he responded. He notes that at that time in the county, at best, he had one other deputy patrolling somewhere in the county during a shift. A lot of times, he would be the only deputy patrolling on his shift. Still, even with another deputy on patrol, he could be twenty minutes away at any given time.

It became an isolating job, alone against the criminal element. Though we still live in a “good area,” and even in the early ’90s, a lower crime area relative to some in the country. Still, Nicholson says, there were those who would easily decide to harm you, or worse, to avoid going to jail.

Telling the story of one of his first calls on patrol, Nicholson recalled a mentally deranged man. The only deputy on duty that night, he responded to a call about this man who had “ripped his parent’s home apart.” Arriving on the scene and beginning to assess the situation, he discovered that this deranged man believed he was Satan. Not exaggerating, he repeated this part of the story adding weight to each word, “He thought that He. Was. Satan. He actually believed he was the devil.”

Scared to death, he continued talking to the man and convinced him to get into his vehicle without force.

It became quite real about the types of things he would see in this career. It sunk in deep as to exactly what the police academy and training could never prepare him to handle. Yet, Nicholson says it taught him more than anything else. It taught him he had to always be quick-thinking and maintain the calm air. It became a solemn lesson to “try to use my mouth more than muscle.”

The flip-side of the job, however, makes it worse. Though sharing the extreme stories like this one showcases the rarer moments of the position, he says it is actually a slow, boring job on patrol. It is because of this usual pace that sets such a disparity to the moments when he got a call to more serious situations. His job was never like the movies with gunfights every day and then you just walk away and grab a drink. The high-intensity points were harder to handle because you are calm and relaxed before the call. It causes an adrenaline spike and your body kicks over into a different gear so suddenly. An “adrenaline dump” like that made it hard for Nicholson to keep from shaking on some days.

Even in his years as a detective, it seemed it would always happen as he laid down to sleep when a call came in. The rebound from preparing to sleep and shut down for the day all the way back to being on high function and stress of working a crime scene could be extreme. With so much adrenaline, Nicholson can only refer to these moments as “containment, ” conquering the feeling and holding it down in order to function properly in the situation.

“It’s all in your brain and, I guess, in your gut,” Nicholson says that while he has known people who thrive on the adrenaline and actively seek it, they really become a minority in the big picture, only 1-2%. He notes, “If a cop tells you he has never been in a situation where he was scared, he’s probably lying.”

This is the point of courage, though. He references an old John Wayne quote, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” It is the point of the job that sets them apart from most people. You cannot do the job without courage, you cannot last in it.

Courage in the moment doesn’t mean you don’t feel the effects. Dealing with everything that an officer sees, feels, and hears through the line of duty is another trial all its own.

Handling it, he said, is to just put it away for a while. Still, he says he had to deal with it eventually. Nicholson says throughout his time in this career through deputy, detective, and sheriff, he deals with those emotions and dark points through camaraderie with friends and fellow officers, taking a night to talk with close friends and talking through the hard points.

Nicholson also says he finds relief in his faith in God after becoming a Christian in 1982. Turning to him in order to find comfort in letting go of the issues, “talking to God” is something that Nicholson says he falls on later. As you find yourself in certain situations and you put off the emotions to deal with, you have to turn back and face it with God’s help at some point. Stress is an enormously negative factor in his position and dealing with it productively in the key. Fighting against destructive processes that lead to heavy drinking and suicide is the reality of any serious law enforcement career.

One of the hardest points in his career is one well known in Gilmer County. It is hard to speak about the Sheriff’s Office in Gilmer without speaking of one of its biggest losses in Officer Brett Dickey. Even over 20 years later, Nicholson says it shapes and affects him to this day.

Directly involved in the shooting, Nicholson was one of the officers on location that night. He and Mark Sanford were on location attempting to get a man out of the house with other officers forming a perimeter around the residence.

Even speaking of it today, watching and listening to Sheriff Nicholson retell the story, you can see the change it puts into his face, into his voice. You watch his eyes fall to the floor as he mentions the details. You see him straighten in his chair slightly as if preparing to brace against an impact. You hear his voice soften, losing a little of the authoritative tone. In this moment, you hear the wound.

“That’s the only shot I’ve ever fired in the line of duty.” Firing the shot at the suspect as he was shooting, Nicholson says he fired into a very small area to try to shoot him to stop the gunfire. With 10 shots fired randomly, Nicholson says, “The entire situation, it seemed like it took thirty minutes to unfold, but it actually happened all in about three to four seconds… Two deputies were hit, it was definitely a dark night in the career.”

He swears it is an incident that he will never forget. It was a turning point that set the direction for his life in the coming years. After that, Nicholson began taking training personally to become something more. It became more than just a job that night.

It was a night that forced Nicholson deeper into the life that is law enforcement.

Even now, as Sheriff, he couldn’t quite answer the question if the lifestyle is something he can turn off after he leaves. It even defines his goals in the position as he says, “My number one goal is to never have to bury an officer. That’s my number one goal, and my second goal is that we don’t have to kill someone else.”

Accomplishing both of these goals is something Nicholson says he understands isn’t as likely as it used to be, but it is something he continually strives for in his career.

With his career and training advancing, Nicholson began thinking about running for office in 1998. Though he was thinking of it at that time. He didn’t run for the position until 2004. Now on his fourth term, Nicholson continues his efforts into the position of law enforcement. While he looks at it from more of the big picture standpoint than he did as a deputy, he says he has to remember he is first a law enforcement officer and must act accordingly. However, the position of sheriff is a political figure and has public responsibilities because of that.

He offers an example of his wife and kid being sick at one time. Heading to the store to get Gatorade to help them feel better, he says he may get caught for an hour in the Gatorade aisle talking to someone about a neighbor dispute going on. “The sheriff is the representative of the law enforcement community to the citizens. The citizens would much prefer to talk specifically to the sheriff than a deputy that’s actually going to take care of the problem.”

It becomes a balancing act of the law enforcement lifestyle and being a politician. Being in a smaller community only increases the access as everyone knows and commonly sees the sheriff.

On the enforcement side, taking the role in the big picture sense, he says he has had to pay more attention to national news and its effects on the local office and citizens. Going further, rather than worrying about what to do on patrol, he’s looked more at locations. Patrol zones and the need for visibility of officers in certain areas over others.

The position also separates you from others, “It’s tough to have to discipline someone who is one of your better friends… You learn to keep at least a small amount of distance between yourself and those you are managing.” As much as you want to be close friends with those you serve alongside, the position demands authority. Nicholson compares the Sheriff’s Office to more of a family, saying someone has to be the father. Someone has to be in that leadership role.

The depth of the role is one thing Nicholson says he has been surprised with after becoming sheriff.  He explains that he didn’t expect just how much people, both citizens and employees, look to him to solve certain problems. He chuckles as he admits, “I can’t tell you the number of times that I pull into the parking lot and I might handle four situations in the parking lot before I get to the front doors of the courthouse.”

People often look to the sheriff for advice on situations or to be a mediator.

Despite the public attention, Nicholson says the hardest thing he deals with in his position is balancing the needs against the county’s resources. Speaking specifically to certain needs over others is a basic understood principle of leadership, it is one Nicholson says he knows too well when balancing budgets and funds versus the office’s and deputy’s needs. Whether it is equipment, training, salary, or maintenance, he says that trying to prioritize these needs and provide for them is the toughest task.

Despite the surprises and the difficulties, Nicholson states, “It’s me, it’s my command staff, all the way down to the boots on the ground troops. I think we have put together one of the best law enforcement agencies that Georgia has to offer.”

Gaining state certification in his first term was one proud moment for Nicholson as the office grew in discipline and achieved policy changes. Though it wasn’t easy, he says he had to ‘hold his own feet to the fire’ during the process as the office went down the long checklist to accomplish the feat. Setting the direction for the office at the time, the changes to policies and disciplines were only the start of keeping the office on track to the task.

It signaled a growth and change from the days of one or two deputies on patrol in the county into a more professional standardized agency, a growth that Nicholson holds close as one of his accomplishments that his deputies and command staff have helped him to achieve.

It is a point echoed by his one on his command staff, Major Mike Gobble, who said, “When he took office, one of his first goals was to bring the Sheriff’s Office up-to-date and modernize the sheriff’s office from salaries to equipment. Making sure we had the pull to do our job, that was one of his major priorities.”

Gobble says going from one to two deputies on shift to four or five deputies on shift improved their response time alongside managing patrol zones. Gobble went on to say its the struggle that he sees the sheriff fight for his deputies for salaries, benefits, and retirement that shows his leadership. It is that leadership that draws Gobble further into his position in the command staff.

Now, having Gilmer’s sheriff moving into the position as President of the Sheriff’s Association, it’s prideful to see that position held here in Gilmer County. As sheriff, Gobble says he handles the position with respect and class. He knows how to deal with the citizens of the county, but also with those outside the county and at the state level. “He’s a very approachable kind of person. Not just as a sheriff, but an approachable kind of person.”

It is a quality Gobble says serves the people well to be able to talk to people respectfully while having an “open ear” to help them with their problems. Its the point that not every employee sees, he’s working towards improving their positions and pay for what they give to service.

Improving these positions is something Nicholson himself says is very difficult, especially around budget times in the year. Noted repeatedly over the years for the struggles at budget times in the county, Nicholson says it is about the perspective of the county. “I’m not over those departments, I’ve got my own stuff to look after… but we are all a part of the same county government.”

It is always a difficult process for those involved. He continues his thoughts on the topic saying, “I always have a true respect for the need for the other county departments to have adequate funding… But when it comes down to it, I’ve got to put being a citizen aside and be the sheriff. My responsibility is to look after the sheriff’s office.”

While the financial portions of the sheriff’s position stand as Nicholson’s least-liked part of the job, he balances the other half seeing the community support for officers in our county. He says he gets disappointed at seeing the news from across the nation in communities that protest and fight law enforcement. Living in this community affords him his favorite part of the job in being around people so much.

From the employees he works alongside to the citizens that speak to him to the courthouse’s own community feel. Its the interaction with people that highlights the days for Nicholson as he says, “It ought to be illegal to be paid to have this much fun.”

Even the littlest things like one situation that he recalls, he was speaking with an officer at the security station of the courthouse, one man came in and began speaking with Nicholson as another man walks in. The two gentlemen eventually began conversing with each other, but it became apparent that neither could hear well. As the conversation progresses with one trying to sell a car and the other speaking on a completely different topic of a situation years earlier. Nicholson says it was the funniest conversation he has ever heard and a prime example of simply getting more interaction with the public as sheriff.

It is an honor that he says competes with and conflicts with his appointment to the Sheriff’s Association, conflict simply in the idea that it is just as big of an honor to be a part of the leadership of Gilmer’s community as it is to be a part of the leadership of the state organization.

The presidency will see Nicholson in the legislature’s sessions and a part of committee meetings in the process. Traveling to the capitol during legislative session and a winter, summer, and fall conference for the association make-up the major commitments of the positions.

Starting to look at the Executive Committee 2009 as something he wanted to achieve, he gained this desire from a now past president that still serves on the Board of Directors as an inspiration to the position. As one of a few people that Nicholson calls a mentor, this unnamed guide led Nicholson to the executive board through his own example in the position. Now achieving it himself, Nicholson says he hopes that he can, in turn, be that example for other younger sheriffs and build the same relationships with them that have inspired him.

Calling the presidency a great achievement, Nicholson didn’t agree that it is a capstone on his career saying, “I’m not done with being sheriff in Gilmer County.”

While focusing on his position on the Executive Board and his position as Gilmer Sheriff, Nicholson says he doesn’t have a set goal to accomplish past the coming presidency. Promoting the profession of law enforcement as president of the Sheriff’s Association and growing the Sheriff’s Office in Gilmer County, these are the focus that Nicholson uses to define the next stages of his career.

To continue his growth in the county office, he says he is reaching an age where he can’t plan several terms ahead anymore. He wants to look at the question of running for Sheriff again to each election period. That said, he did confirm that he definitely will run again in 2020.

 

Collins Praises House Passage of Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act

State & National

Collins Praises House Passage of Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act 

“It’s my privilege to join the House in supporting the unique wellness needs of these men and women. They continue to invest in making our communities safer, and the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act invests in providing practical resources to support officers in their work.”

WASHINGTON—Today the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2228, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017, by voice vote. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) introduced the bill, and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) is an original co-sponsor of the legislation.

The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act addresses the challenges inherent to police work. The bill would require the Department of Justice to work with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to develop tools that local law enforcement could use as they improve the mental health resources available to police officers. In addition, the legislation would establish grant opportunities for programs, research and training focused on delivering mental health support to law enforcement agents.

“As the son of a Georgia State Trooper, I never forget that members of the law enforcement community voluntarily enter dangerous, stressful situations each day, and they do this for the sake of their neighbors.

“It’s my privilege to join the House in supporting the unique wellness needs of these men and women. They continue to invest in making our communities safer, and the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act invests in providing practical resources to support officers in their work,” said Collins.

This legislation is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Officers, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National District Attorneys Association and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

H.R. 2228 will proceed to the Senate for consideration.

Americas Voice of Conscience?

Opinion

America’s Voice of Conscience?

For some incomprehensible reason the noted historian and farceur, Jimmy Kimmel, from his national late night TV platform, in a typically leftist screed of emotional anti-self defense propaganda after the Las Vegas mass murders, sought to tell Americas what the founding fathers really thought about the possession of firearms by American’s. He contended that the Founders did not foresee modern technology. He claimed that arguments today about why they set out to defend gun possession in the Bill of Rights, no longer apply to today’s standards.

Who in the world had the gall to claim that Jimmy Kimmel was America’s Voice of Conscience?To be a voice of anything, people have to listen to you, a lot of people in fact, and they have to agree with what you’re saying. Jimmy simply doesn’t qualify. Our president does.

Jimmy K. missed the point, didn’t he? The founders understood that personal possession of firearms was necessary to enable Americans to defend themselves from brigands, robbers, hostile Indians, British soldiers and, as Thomas Jefferson pointed out, even the government.  

The primary purpose for possessing firearms, apart from hunting and sport shooting which only a small number of people do today, is encapsulated in the desire for self-defense or more correctly, survival. It does not involve the changing technology of weapons. It is self-defense!

Firearms are nothing more than the assembly of predesigned pieces of metal, fit together into an operating system, designed to strike a firing device to ignite an explosive (gun powder) to propel a missile (lead ball) down a barrel directed to an object, and hit the object. Cold steel.

The Las Vegas mass murders by firearms, was another shock to the nation and a conundrum to law enforcement in that the wealthy, white shooter, who took his own life before he could be apprehended, didn’t leave a trail to be followed that would have revealed his motive. That he probably had too many firearms for a sport shooter or a hunter is a lingering question to be answered. Why records of multiple gun purchases by a single individual over a months or so period didn’t arouse official suspicion, is another question to be asked.

Modern computing systems for gun sales, coordinated with state law enforcement intelligence units should be a consideration. That’s why police departments, at all levels, have intelligence units to pre-determine (educated guesses) potential mischief against public safety.

The Las Vegas incident focused the eyes of Law Enforcement on Americas biggest weakness, mass gatherings of unarmed people at entertainment venues. Sad examples already exist, in Birmingham, UK, Orlando, Fl. and San Bernardino, Ca. so, the Las Vegas shooting could have been anticipated. Some type of attack should have been guessed at or at least supposed.

Las Vegas appears to be a premier example of apparent unconcern about potential violence, a “It won’t happen here” attitude. But, it did! The concert crowd, out in the open as they were, could have as easily been mowed down by motor vehicles, a cheap and very effective method of spreading terror used effectively by Islamic terrorists. Vehicles are the machines of today’s advanced transportation modes, up from ox carts and buggies that our founders rode around in. Vehicles didn’t even make it into the Constitution, but firearms did. If the ‘Left’ ever succeeds in negating the 2nd Amendment, they’ll play hell enforcing it. Jimmy Kimmel isn’t the voice of conscience, he’s one of the Left’s “useful idiots” Stalin talked about.

Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em! (05Oct17)

Hiawassee Police Chief Completes Executive Training

News
Chief Paul Smith

Hiawassee, GA – Chief Paul Smith of the Hiawassee Police Department attended the Chief Executive Training Class for newly appointed chiefs of police and heads of law enforcement agencies at the Dr. Curtis E. McClung Training Center in Duluth, GA from September 18-27, 2017.

The 60-hour course, administered and provided by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP), is required by state law for newly appointed heads of law enforcement agencies.

The curriculum is designed to provide newly appointed law enforcement administrators and command staff personnel training on police management, as well as inform them of laws and policies impacting their departments.

Topics covered in the course include: Managerial Liability and E.E.O.C. Laws, Police Manpower Allocation & Staffing, Community Policing, Budget Administration, Political and Practical Realities, Risk Management, Evolution of Ethics, Media Relations, Departmental Organization, Employee Selection Process, Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Overview, Promotional Systems, United States Department of Justice Programs, Leadership/Management Role of the Chief, Employee Performance & Employee Discipline, Legislative Process, Social Media for Law Enforcement Leaders, and other timely topics.

“The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police is pleased to provide executive level training for the professional development of Georgia’s new law enforcement leaders.” said GACP President Dennis Nelson of the Clayton County Department of Corrections.

Chief Smith was among 50 law enforcement administrators attending the course. The GACP provides executive training for newly appointed heads of law enforcement agencies and command staff personnel twice a year, along with several other training programs throughout the state. It is the largest professional association for law enforcement administrators in Georgia, and one of the largest in the country.

The membership of over 1,700 includes executives representing municipal and county law enforcement agencies, college and university police departments, corporate and private security firms, and numerous state and federal agencies.

Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston speaks at Law Enforcement Breakfast

Featured, Videos

https://youtu.be/aAHw9wBMGOk

License Plate Scanners – Are you Being Tracked?

News

In an ever changing, fast paced world of electronics new technology becomes available all the time.  A recent topic raised at a City Council Meeting in Blue Ridge, GA made us look a little closer at one device used by police officers.

Item # 14 on the agenda listed a highway safety project presented by Johnny Scearce (Chief of Police Blue Ridge, GA), Larry Bennett (Chief of Police McCaysville, GA) Ron Scherer, and Scott Kiker (Probate Judge – Fannin County, GA).  However Police Chief Scearce brought up another subject not listed on the agenda- license plate scanners.  Scearce explained how the device was installed on a “test” basis before an actual purchase or lease.  Listen to Scearce explain the results of using the license plate scanner below:

https://youtu.be/KOT_sFg6KQk

Most motorists would not notice the surveillance technology, designed to capture the license plates of every passing vehicle.  License Plate Readers, mounted on police cars, use small, high-speed cameras to photograph thousands of plates per minute.  The description given by Scearce during the verbal presentation at the November 3rd Blue City Council meeting told us the database was a “private company” and the information was cross referenced with the NCIC (The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is the United States’ central database for tracking crime-related information. The NCIC has been an information sharing tool since 1967.)

This topic caught our attention because we, like most Americans, wonder where this type of technology is going too far.  Scearce seemed pleased with the results, noting the increase in revenue and court cases as well.  But should a police force be focused on revenue and court cases?  Would the invasive practice impact tourism?  Is it too much in a world with too much “Big Brother” as it is.  It also raised the questions of how is the data stored?  How long is the data stored and who has access to it?  Will these private company databases being installed and used in police cruisers result in lawsuits based on citizens rights being violated?  All good questions so we did a little research.

Here is an excerpt from an article on the ACLU website:

The documents paint a startling picture of a technology deployed with too few rules that is becoming a tool for mass routine location tracking and surveillance. License plate readers can serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose when they alert police to the location of a car associated with a criminal investigation. But such instances account for a tiny fraction of license plate scans, and too many police departments are storing millions of records about innocent drivers. Moreover, private companies are also using license plate readers and sharing the information they collect with police with little or no oversight or privacy protections. A lack of regulation means that policies governing how long our location data is kept vary widely.  (read entire article Are You Being Tracked – ACLU)

The other article related to the License Plate Readers from the ACLU website can be read here:  License Plate Readers – Taking Photos Too?

Most of the research indicated the majority of devices were government devices but some are private.  The real concern for us at FetchYourNews.com is where does it stop?  Look at this excerpt from a situation involving license plate readers in our neighbor state of Florida:  This story is by By David Bauerlein Wed, Jun 24, 2015 @ 8:35 pm and published on Jacksonville.com (see link) Illegal to Back into Your Driveway  (used with permission)

Backing into your own driveway could cost you under proposed bill before Jacksonville Council

For those who prefer to back vehicles into their driveways, a proposal pending before City Council would make it illegal to park their cars that way unless their license plate information is clearly visible from the street.

The proposed bill is aimed at cracking down on the visual blight that occurs when vehicle owners store cars that don’t work on their property.

Proponents say it’s needed because city code enforcement inspectors face problems cracking down on abandoned vehicles because they need to get the license plate information in order to write a citation. If they cannot see the tags from the street because the car is backed in, they cannot go onto private property to get a closer look at the front of the vehicle.

The bill filed by City Councilman Warren Jones says that if a vehicle’s tag isn’t visible from the street, the owner must write down that information with 2-inch tall letters and post it in a location that inspectors can easily see from the street.

The bill also says that if an owner puts a cover over the vehicle, the license tag must either be visible or the tag information must be posted.

FYN supports all law enforcement and with that being said we also support the rights of all citizens.  Law enforcement should have tools to do its job but how far is too far?  FetchYourNews also interviewed police officers from neighboring areas to ask for their perspective.  Three independent inquiries we made to individuals in the law enforcement field resulting in a resounding no.  The procedure for calling in tags requires a reason or “probable cause”  and if using the license plate scanner there is no probable cause.  The other concern would be availability of private information – the information stored by NCIC is protected but who protects information with a private company?  Just too much of a slippery slope.

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