Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2023
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
Public Safety
Auburn PD
Auburn’s forward-thinking approach to community policing
Chief Chris Hodge of the Auburn Po
lice Department took a bold step toward
strengthening community ties by pro
posing the creation of a full-time pub
lic information officer (PIO) position to
Mayor Blechinger and the Auburn City
Council.
The initiative was aimed at achiev
ing several crucial objectives, includ
ing enhancing community engagement,
building trust and improving overall
community relations, creating outreach
programs beneficial to the community
and ensuring transparent and effective
communications as a liaison to the me
dia for high-profile law enforcement in
cidents.
Mayor Blechinger and the Auburn City
Council recognized the potential bene
fits of the position and agreed to incor
porate the position into its public safety
budget. Although such a move is uncom
mon for a smaller agency, the city’s for
ward-thinking leadership demonstrated a
commitment to enhancing the well-being
of Auburn’s residents.
Since its establishment, the City of
Auburn has allocated resources to fund
the public information office, which has
spearheaded a wide range of commu
nity-focused programs and initiatives.
These include:
• A ten-week Citizens Police Academy
• A Police Youth Explorer program
• Women’s self-defense classes
• Women’s gun safety courses
• Youth self-defense courses (ages 8 to
13 years)
• Residential and business security as
sessments
• Youth bicycle safety courses
• Shop with a Hero (a joint venture
with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office)
• Neighborhood Watch Program
• Child safety seat inspections (by a
Certified Child Safety Seat Technician)
• CPR and Stop the Bleed safety cours
es
• Basic drone informational courses
• Child ID kit events
• Active shooter presentations (includ
ing facility assessments)
• Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
• Community conversations (town hall
meetings to discuss law enforcement is
sues and current events)
• Crime scene investigation demon
strations for schools
• Pre-K through 1st grade meet-and-
greet initiatives
The City of Auburn absorbs the costs
associated with each of these programs
as they are considered an essential com
ponent of the city’s community policing
and outreach efforts.
“The efforts and programs of our public
information office are a mainstay in the
community and promote an atmosphere
of safety and cooperation otherwise not
present in many cities. It is paramount
that all police departments, in addition to
providing quality law enforcement ser
vices, engage citizens in their commu
nities through various efforts to foster a
spirit of trust and mutual respect. We be
lieve this has been accomplished through
the creation of our Public Information
Office,” said Hodge.
Pictured: Sgt. Marc Pharr and the Auburn
PD mascot K9 Cody
Submitted photo
BCSO
Couple arrested, child removed from unsafe situation
An Oct. 2 child welfare check call to a
trailer on Briscoe Mill Rd., resulted in the
arrest of a woman who was supposed to
be taking care of a five-year-old child. The
child’s mother had been recently incarcer
ated for an outstanding warrant.
The woman’s mother remarked to police
that the child had been sleeping on a cot in
the kitchen of the trailer, contradicting her
claim that there were adequate bedrooms
and bathrooms in the trailer. When offi
cers asked to see the child, the woman said
that her aunt had picked her up, and she
couldn’t remember where the aunt lived.
When the child was not produced, officers
walked around the trailer park to try to find
her.
The child’s father had walked to her
trailer to pick up the little girl after the
woman in charge of watching her called
him in a panic. In an area of the woods
frequented by drug users, officers talked to
people who said that the father had been
there earlier with the little girl but had
“run off into a field” without her. A friend
of the father said that he was probably
confused and had likely been up for days,
using drugs.
The little girl was eventually found
“unsupervised, barefoot and filthy” in the
trailer park, with no way to find someplace
familiar, or to get food or water. She was
removed from both the woman and fa
ther’s care and placed in a safe home with
a family friend who was aware of the sit
uation.
The woman eventually admitted to lying
and explained that she was trying to pro
tect the girl’s father, who was charged with
reckless conduct following the child wel
fare check. She was charged with provid
ing false statements and writings to police
officers (regarding the child’s welfare and
whereabouts).
Winder Fire
Winder PD
Photos courtesy of the City of Winder
The City of Winder Fire Department joined with elected officials, family and friends at the Winder Community Center for an
annual dinner and awards ceremony on Monday, Oct. 2.
Winder Fire Department
hosts annual awards banquet
Local resident falls
victim to $93,800 scam
A local resident fell victim
to a scam after he received a
call from a “business” pro
claiming he won millions
of dollars and a brand new
Mercedes Benz valued at
$130,000.
The scammers identified
their company as “Pub
lisher Clearing House” and
told him he must settle the
required tax amount on his
winnings before he could
claim the prize.
The man proceeded to is
sue three checks totaling ap
proximately $93,800.
On August 4, he wrote a
check for $30,000, payable to
Denna Richardson.
On August 30, another
check was issued for $29,300,
made out to Collin Blake.
Also on Aug. 30, a third
check was made out to Va-
deen Wilson for $34,500.
After sending these checks
from his own address, the
man was contacted once
more by the scammers, in
structing him to withdraw
approximately $150,000
from his bank account, place
the cash into a cardboard box
marked with his address and
await an unidentified person
to collect the money.
No charges have been filed
thus far as the four suspects in
the case remain unidentified.
The City of Winder Fire
Department joined with
elected officials, family
and friends at the Winder
Community Center for an
annual dinner and awards
ceremony on Monday, Oct.
2.
Chief Matt Whiting
welcomed firefighters and
their families along with
recognizing the Mayor Da
vid Maynard and council
members who were pres
ent.
A special guest was
92-year-old former Winder
Fire Chief John Etheridge,
who was there to show
support his grandson, Jake,
a current Winder firefight
er at Station One.
Maynard expressed his
appreciation for the work
and the uplifting culture
exhibited by Winder’s fire
fighters.
Councilmember Travis
Singley spoke to attendees
recognizing the heart and
soul of the Fire Depart
ment.
Joan Matthews, who has
supported the Winder Fire
Department for the last 25
years, with a total of 28
years of service to the City
of Winder, was also recog
nized.
The evening’s keynote
speaker was Councilmem
ber Kobi Kilgore, who
expressed her deep appre
ciation and admiration for
each member of the fire
department. Kilgore spoke
to the families present at
the dinner, reiterating her
support and commitment
to the members of the City
of Winder Fire Depart
ment.
AWARD WINNERS
Rookie of the Year
Tim Lewis
Lanthier Award
Casey Wright
Outstanding Service
Chad Sauls
Officer of the Year
Cory West
Firefighter of the Year
Bill Fancher
Firefighter of the Year
Will Jackson
YEARS OF SERVICE
Barry Garrett
35 Years of Service
Matt Whiting
30 Years of Service
Casey Wright
25 Years of Service
Tommy Evans
25 Years of Service
Jimmy Beck
20 Years of Service
Wesley Caneup
20 Years of Service
Barrow County Schools
Child Find
Developmental Screenings
for children ages 2 \ - 5
October 25,2023
8:30 am - 1:30 pm
Statham Elementary
1970 Broad St, Statham, GA
TO SCHEDULE A SCREENING,
please contact Margrette Bailey at (770) 867-4527
For school-aged children (ages 6-21) enrolled in a home
school program or private school within Barrow County, you
may contact the Director of Special Education, Amy Wadley,
for information regarding the referral process at
770-867-4527.
For children ages 6 to 21 enrolled in the Barrow County
School District, please contact your local school for more
information about the referral process.
In accordance with federal regulations and Georgia State
Board Rule 160-4-7-03, for children ages 3 through 21, BCSS
is responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating all
children within the jurisdiction of the LEA who are suspected
of having disabilities that may result in a need for special
education and related services.
“Child Find" del Sistema
Escolar de Barrow
Chequeos y evaluaciones del desarrollo
infantil para los ninos entre las edades de 2
Vi hasta los 5 anos
25 de Octubre, 2023
8:30 am - 1:30 pm
En la Escuela Primaria de Statham
1970 Broad St, Statham, GA
PARA HACER CITA
Contacte a Margrette Bailey
(770) 867-4527 (Deje mensaje en espanol)
Para los hijos ya de la edad de asistir a la escuela (6-21 anos) que
estudian o en casa o en una escuela privada dentro del Condado de
Barrow, podra contactar al Director de Educacion Especial, el Amy
Wadley, para obtener informacion sobre el proceso de pedir una
evaluacion, al 770-867-4527.
Para los estudiantes de 6 a 21 anos de edad que ya asisten a una
escuela publica dentro del Condado de Barrow, por favor, contacte a la
escuela local para obtener mas informacion sobre el proceso de pedir
evaluacion.
De acuerdo con los reglamentos federales y la ley estatal de Georgia
160-4-7.03, en cuanto a los ninos de entre la edad de 3 anos hasta los
21 anos, el Sistema Escolar de Barrow tiene la responsabilidad de
identificar, localizar, y evaluar a todos los ninos dentro de la jurisdiccion
de Sistema Escolar Local que quizas tengan incapacidades que
posiblemente ocasionen la necesidad de recibir educacion especial y
los servicios relacionados con la educacion especial.