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Tribune & Georgian
Wednesday, January 9,2013
New sheriff shares outlook for department
Proctor says he is exploring changes to improve efficiency save money at sheriffs office
Johna Strickland Rush
johna@tribune-georgian.com
Jim Proctor became part of a
long history when he donned the
title of Camden County sheriff last
week.
Sheriffs have been around since
the ninth century in England, mak
ing the office the oldest, continuing
agency in history, excluding the
military, according to Roger Scott
who wrote about the origins of
sheriffs for the National Sheriffs’
Association.
In Georgia, a sheriff is mandated
to perform dozens of functions
from courthouse security to law en
forcement.
“It’s a big office,” Proctor said.
“There’s a lot of responsibility, and
it’s nothing that I can do. It’s not a
me office, it’s a we office. It’s going
to take us to make that office work
— and we’re going to make it work.
We’re going to make it work for the
benefit of the people of this county
with honor and with respect.”
Proctor intends to bring a differ
ent type of community policing to
the office, he said in an interview
Friday. Part of the effort will be re
organizing shifts and modifying
hours to place more deputies on the
road.
“They can be more proactive,
than re-active,” Proctor said of his
plan. “A proactive department is
going to protect our citizens better
and better serve our citizens.”
Five deputies are supposed to be
on patrol — two on the north end,
two on the south and a roaming ser
geant — but the number falls to
three at times because the office is
short-handed, Proctor said.
Sometimes a single deputy must
cover the entire north end of the
county.
Proctor
“It’s a scary prospect,” said deputy
and public information officer
William Terrell. “I’ve done it and
when you’re out riding and when
you realize whatever happens, I got
to handle it and the back up is 15 or
20 minutes away. It’s daunting.”
While focusing on community
policing, Proctor also plans to aug
ment the two deputies assigned to
patrol Interstate 95, where the bulk
of money and items are nabbed that
can be used by law enforcement
through the U.S. Department of
Justice’s asset forfeiture program.
Proctor has talked with other
sheriffs along the interstate to see
how they can pool their resources
to help each other with seized as
sets.
“Some of it’s going to be learn as
we go,” he said. And we’ll have
to make modifications and adjust
ments throughout and as the envi
ronment changes, we have to
change and meet our challenge.”
Seized assets
The CCSO was booted out of
the seized asset program in 2007
under former Sheriff Bill Smith for
spending $662,000 improperly in
an audited 18-month period. The
department was conditionally rein
stated in December 2011 and given
until Nov. 17, 2012, to finish pay
ing off the impermissible expendi
tures.
Seized asset money can be used
for law enforcement-related ex
penses, such as purchasing vehicles
and equipment or covering the cost
of training for employees.
Proctor anticipates spending the
money on equipment — be it for
the jail, patrol, drug task force or
other divisions — and has asked
leaders within the office to tell him
what they need and want.
“We’re going to deal with the
needs,” he said. “If we can address
the wants, we will. But we’ve got to
prioritize and make sure that we’re
using for the benefit of all of us.”
Currently, the county has
$400,349 in seized asset money,
with $174,085 committed to proj
ects. The funds went to purchasing
vehicles and outfitting them with
decals, light bars and other items;
buying a dog trained for narcotics,
tracking and patrol; sending a
deputy to a dog handling course in
Arkansas; and putting three
deputies through other training
courses. The largest single purchase
was $100,000 for land adjacent to
the jail, possibly to be used for park
ing if the pod had been installed,
Terrell said.
Take-home vehicles
Of the CC$0 employees who
have take-home vehicles, only one
lives outside the county. Fast week,
when Farry Bruce became the pa
trol captain, he was assigned a
cruiser that goes home with him to
Glynn County because he is on
duty 24/7.
“He’s going to be a busy man,”
Terrell said. “And he really needs to
have something with blue lights
that he can get here fast if he has
to.”
home law enforcement agencies
have established a radius system for
take-home vehicles, an idea Proctor
intends to examine. If officers live
outside the county but within a cer
tain radius, they can pay a part of
the fuel consumption to take the ve
hicle home, Proctor said.
“They’re sharing in the cost,” he
said. “If you want to take that vehi
cle home, you’re going to be re
sponsible for it. You’re going to pay
a portion of it. It’s something that I
want to look at.”
Jail
With the inmate population at
about 135, the county’s jail remains
a critical issue. CC$0 is “aggres
sively” working to keep the popula
tion down, Terrell said, by quickly
processing those who do not need
to be in jail.
Opened in 1987, the facility has
been modified through the years to
help accommodate overcrowding
and an expansion with a dormitory-
style pod had been planned, with $3
million of Special Purpose Focal
Option hales Tax VI allotted to the
project. About $579,000 had been
spent as of Sept. 30, 2012. The ex
pansion may not advance, he said.
“I’m not sure if we need to ex
pand on our current footprint,”
Proctor said. “I’m not so sure that
we shouldn’t look at a relocation,
but that’s something the county
needs to address because I can’t
purchase property and own prop
erty as the sheriff.... Do we need to
be in the center of the (Woodbine)
community? ... Is there an alterna
tive that would work better?”
The SPFOST money may be
used for other needs at the jail
though.
“We have to make what we have
functional,” he said, noting the
locks, plumbing, windows, elec
tronics, intercom and monitoring
systems need to be repaired or re
placed. The laundry cannot handle
the capacity and run continuously.
Inmate work crews
Presently inmates work within
the jail in the kitchen, laundry and
cleaning the facility and one detail
works outside. However, Proctor
would like to see inmates do more,
such as pick up roadside litter,
maintaining county landscaping.
One outside detail is not enough;
two are needed, he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, that’s
part of their debt to society,” Proc
tor said.
The movement of inmates hinges
on their classifications, which are
based on the individual, his/her
background, the reason for current
incarceration and why the person
may have been confined in the past.
Violent offenders would not be
placed on work crews, Proctor said.
Inmates line up for the opportunity
to work because they get to go out
side, Terrell said.
“Even the ones that know they
stand no chance of getting on an in
mate detail will volunteer and want
to go,” Proctor said.
Proctor is working on the idea
that people who come through the
court system and cannot afford to
pay their fines could be sentenced
to community service and work at
places such as the humane society.
“In today’s financial environment
and the (economy), some can’t af
ford to pay a fine,” he said. “Let
them pay their debt to society in an
other way.”
Upcoming Events
Thursday, January 10
A Camden County Public Service Authority
board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thurs
day, Jan. 10, in the community room of the
Camden Community Recreation Center in
Kingsland.The meeting is open to the public.
New business will include the election of a
chairman and vice chairman, a sport presen
tation, discussion of the St. Marys Aquatic
Center and more. Also, a plaque will be pre
sented to former commissioner chairman
David L. Rainer. For more information, call
(912) 729-5600, extension 228.
Thursday, January 17
A new group called “Single Again” is being
formed for those who find themselves sud
denly single after a multi-year marriage. This is
a self-support group whose goal is to share
positive ideas to adjust to a new lifestyle.
Members encourage each other in seeing
there is hope after divorce, death of a spouse
or the end of a long-term relationship. The
meetings are free. Beginning in February, the
group plans to meet at 6 p.m. on the first and
third Thursdays of the month. The first meeting
will be held Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, upstairs
at The Green Room Sicilian restaurant outside
Osprey Cove. For menu and address, visit
http://www.onthegreenroom.com/.
Saturday, January 19
The Camden County Section Of the Na
tional Council of Negro Women and Associ
ated Men will celebrate its 28th annual Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.Tribute Dinner Satur
day, Jan. 19. The time will be 3 p.m. The event
will be held at the Camden Community Recre
ation Center, located at 1050 Wildcat Dr. in
Kingsland. The entire community is invited to
attend. Featured will be a keynote address
from Rev. Aaron Jefferson.
Saturday, January 26
The Camden County Republican Party’s
“Grits ‘n’ Bits” breakfast will be held at 9 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Fraternal Order of
Eagles Lodge, located at 101 Industrial Dr. in
St. Marys. The guest speaker will be Lt. Shan
non Brock of the St. Marys Police Department.
Brock will speak on guns and gun control. The
cost for the breakfast will be $7 for adults and
$5 for students. The public is invited. For more
information or to make reservations, call
James Stacy at (912) 882-7551.
Send upcoming events to the editor at edi-
tor1 @tds.net, fax to (912) 882-6519, mail to
P.O. Box 6960, St. Marys, GA 31558 or drop
off at the downtown St. Marys office at 206
Osborne St.
Tax prep volunteers needed
The Volunteer Income
Tax Assistance Program
(VITA) is in need of volun
teers to help with the up
coming income tax season.
Volunteers can be nearly
any age and must attend
training before serving
clients starting in January.
VITA aids low-income and
elderly residents with filing
their personal income tax
returns.
The final training session
is set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat
urday, Jan. 5, at the emer
gency operations center in
Kingsland, 131 N. Lee St.
The course will cover tax
law as well as the online sys
tem that allows volunteers
to file tax returns.
Volunteers are asked to
bring their Wi-Fi enabled
laptops, as there will be a
limited number of laptops
available for use.
All volunteers must be
certified at the basic level,
but they can also choose ad
ditional education in filing
advanced, military or inter
national returns. Volunteers
cannot accept money for
their labor, but donations of
goods such as paper and
printer ink can be received.
For more information
about the VITA program
and how to become a vol
unteer, call Julia Williams at
(912) 510-0355.
Adult education group forming
A group of Camden resi
dents is seeking those inter
ested in continuing
education classes for adults.
The classes would allow
local adults to expand their
knowledge in a pressure-
free, no exams environ
ment. The group seeks to
establish an organization
whose mission is to provide
members of the community
with a college-level, non
credit learning experience
designed for the sole pur
pose of personal enrich
ment.
In order to make this
goal a reality, the group
needs support from the
community.
To learn more, call Carol
at (912) 510-0739 or Pat at
(912) 510-7687.
Award nominations sought
The St. Marys Downtown
Merchants’ Association is ac
cepting applications for the
annual Rosie Kelly Commu
nity Service Award.
The award recognizes out
standing service by an indi
vidual to the St. Marys
community.
The award is named in
memory of Rosalie Kelly, or
“Rosie” to those who knew
her best, who was instrumen
tal in bringing the St. Marys
Downtown Merchants’ As
sociation to life in an effort to
preserve and revitalize the
economy and historic am
biance of the downtown area.
The St. Marys’ Mardi Gras
Festival and Parade were her
brainchild 19 years ago and
the event has been an aspect
of achieving the association’s
goals. In 2002, Kelly received
the inaugural award at that
year’s Mardi Gras Ball cele
bration. The following Janu
ary, Rosie lost a battle with
cancer. Through the contin
ued presentation of this
award to other community
heroes, Rosie’s strength and
spirit are remembered and
honored each year.
The event, which in 2012
was named a Southeast
Tourism Society Top 20
Event, will take place on Sat
urday, Feb. 9, beginning with
the 10 a.m. parade. The an
nual Mardi Gras Ball will
take place the same evening.
The criteria for the Rosie
Kelly Community Service
Award is as follows: the nom
inee must be a resident of
Camden County, having
lived anywhere within the
county for at least two years.
Also, this person should be at
least 21 years of age and
should be involved in organ
izations or activities benefit
ing the local community.
Activities need not be re
stricted solely to St. Marys,
but the bulk of activity
should benefit institutions,
arts, community service proj
ects and residents of St.
Marys.
A brief essay or description
of the nominee’s community
service activities should be
provided, and why it is felt
this person is worthy of com
munity recognition.
An application may be
picked up at the St. Marys
Welcome Center. The fol
lowing information should
be provided: nominee’s
name, address, day and
evening phone numbers;
place of employment and
whether or not it is okay to
call at work; married or sin
gle; and number of children
and their ages. Also needed is
the person’s name making
the nomination (if different
from the nominee), address,
day and evening phone num
bers and an explanation as to
why the person is being
nominated. There must be
complete information re
garding the nominee and the
person making the nomina
tion in case there are any
questions about the informa
tion provided.
The return nomination
form and essay must be typed
or printed and sent to Angela
Wigger at the St. Marys
Welcome Center, 111 Os
borne Street, St. Marys, GA
31558 or emailed to
info@stmaryswelcome.com
no later than 5 p.m. Wednes
day, Jan. 23.
All nominations will be re
viewed and considered by an
awards review panel with the
winner being selected based
on their achievements made
toward a better St. Marys
and based on how their com
munity service best charac
terizes the spirit of St. Marys.
The winner of the award
will be announced and rec
ognized at the Mardi Gras
Ball on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Robert W. Guy, Jr., p.C-
• Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Personal Injury
NEW LOCATION
106 E. Weed St. • St. Marys
(912)882-2931
bertguyatty@gmail.com
604422-BG-11-2
CITY OF ST. MARYS
PUBLIC NOTICE
An election for the purpose of electing a mayor and
three council members will be held in the City of St.
Marys on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. In accordance
with section 21-2-131 of the Georgia Election Code
and Rules of the State Election Board the governing
authority for the Municipality shall, not later than
February 1st of the year of the general election, fix
and publish a qualifying fee for each office to be filled
in the upcoming election.
Such fee shall be 3% of the total gross salary of the
offices. The qualifying fee for mayor is $342.00 and
each council seat is $270.00.
Cf)ax/ene ■ // ffloe/Ziy
Darlene M. Roellig, City Clerk
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