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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2018 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com
Sheriff’s deputy makes sure you
get home safely after picking up
your holiday eats. life,4B
Honestly Local
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Litzy Saravia, 18, was a former Gainesville Police Explorer, who are teenagers who assist and learn from the officers. Saravia
has recently been hired as a records clerk with the department.
Former Gainesville Explorer on path to becoming police officer
Because of her involvement in the Explorers program Saravia has been hired as a records
clerk with the department.
Saravia hopes to be a part of the real police academy after
some time with the department.
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.
com
For the past five years,
Litzy Saravia has shadowed
Gainesville police officers to
get an insight into the world
of law enforcement.
Now 18, she’s on track
to join their ranks, turning
mentors into colleagues.
Saravia, who has been a
part of Gainesville Police’s
junior police academy and
Explorers program, was
hired as a records clerk
Nov. 5.
“One of the goals here
is for her to work in-house
until she is about 20-and-a-
half, then hopefully we can
send her to the police acad
emy, get her certified and
then get her on the road as
a police officer,” Sgt. Kevin
Holbrook said.
Saravia said her pub
lic service interests were
sparked by an ROTC pam
phlet at Gainesville High
School. With her parents
wanting her to stay closer
to home, she enrolled in the
junior police academy and
bonded with the officers.
“They were taking the
time out of their jobs to
come help us and learn
what they do on the day-to-
day just so that we can get an
insight of their world. I think
that’s what really made me
want to become an officer
was being able to help other
kids or other young adults
like how I was when I first
started, make them learn
and experience stuff that
not many other people get
to experience or have the
privilege to,” Saravia said.
To apply for the Explorer
program, the student must
be at least 14, have gradu
ated eighth grade, maintain
a 2.0 GPA and have no fel
ony or major misdemeanor
convictions.
Holbrook said the youth-
based initiative has paid
off two-fold for Gainesville
Police: the department
develops a pool of eager
young hires while having
young “ambassadors” to the
community for improving
relationships.
“Under Chief (Carol) Mar
tin, we realized that we had
to do something, because
this generation is very hard
to recruit,” Holbrook said.
Gainesville Police has
worked to place Explorers
with the sheriff’s offices in
Hall, Habersham and For
syth counties while also
helping a handful enter the
military.
These 18-year-olds get
ting their feet in the door
are then intending to return
to Gainesville Police, Hol
brook said.
“What made me want to
do it — become an officer
— would be helping people.
I’ve always had a desire to
help people, and it’s stuck
with me since I entered the
junior police academy of
always wanting to help peo
ple and make them feel like
I made a difference in their
life,” Saravia said.
With two more years
before the department
hopes to put her through the
real police academy, Hol
brook and others have high
hopes for the 18-year-old
Saravia.
“Like probably every
18-year-old would say, ‘Oh,
I want to be chief or some
thing,”’ she said of her goals.
“That’s probably like my
fantasy goal, but my real
goal is to at least help out
with the community, make
me feel like I did (make) a
difference.”
‘Like probably every 18-year-old would say, “Oh, I want to be chief or
something.’’That’s probably like my fantasy goal, but my real goal is to at least
help out with the community, make me feel like I did (make) a difference.’
Litzy Saravia, Gainesville Police records clerk
Hall area
adds even
more jobs
Unemployment remains
at lowest level in state
BY JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com
The Gainesville-Hall metropolitan area’s jobless
rate fell to 2.6 percent in September, the lowest among
all 14 statistical areas across Georgia, according to the
state Department of Labor.
That figure decreased 0.4 percent from August and
is down from 3.7 percent one year ago.
“It’s always good to see jobs grow in Georgia and
more records set,” Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark
Butler said in a press release. “This holiday season we
have much to be thankful for. The job market has been
very robust this year.”
Gainesville added 149 employed residents in Sep
tember, increasing its total to about 101,000.
Gainesville has gained about 4,000 jobs so far this
year.
Initial claims for unemployment were down by
about 5 percent for the month and about 20 percent
year-over-year.
Employ Georgia, the GDOL’s online job listing ser
vice at employgeorgia.com showed 632 active job post
ings in metro Gainesville for September.
ELECTION 2018
Early voting for Dec. 4
runoff starts Monday
Early voting starts Monday for the Dec. 4 runoff,
which will decide two statewide races in which neither
candidate received a
majority of the vote on
Nov. 6.
For the position
of secretary of state,
Republican Brad
Raffensperger will
compete against Dem
ocrat John Barrow.
The secretary of state
position is occupied by
Robyn Crittenden, who took office after Brian Kemp,
Georgia’s governor-elect, stepped down.
Voters will also be able to decide between incumbent
Republican Chuck Eaton and Democrat Lindy Miller
for a position on the state’s Public Service Commission.
In Hall County, voters will go to the Hall County Gov
ernment Center to cast their ballots Nov. 26-30. On Dec.
4, they will have to go to their assigned polling place.
Megan Reed
Early voting for
Dec. 4 runoff
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nov. 26-30
Where: Hall County
Government Center,
2875 Browns Bridge
Road, Gainesville
Courtesy of Hall County Fire Services
Firefighters said a closed door prevented flames from
spreading from a bedroom to the rest of a North Hall
home Friday afternoon.
Bedroom ‘engulfed’ in
fire at North Hall home
Four people were displaced Friday, Nov. 23, from
their North Hall home after flames “engulfed” one
bedroom, according to authorities.
Hall County firefighters responded Friday afternoon
to a 1,200-square-foot home on the 2600 block of Pass
Circle. The occupants discovered the fire about 4:15
p.m. after returning home.
Capt. Zachary Brackett said the fire was rapidly
extinguished, and no injuries were reported for the
four occupants — two adults and two children.
The fire department recommends you “close before
you doze,” and said on its Twitter feed that this fire was
a real-life example of how that strategy works, citing a
closed door that kept the flames from spreading.
The cause is unknown at this time.
Nick Watson
□
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WEATHER 2A
High Low
w< ? 4 l 55 39
Lake Lanier level: 1,070.50 feet
Full pool 1,071. Down 0.02 feet in 24 hours
DEATHS 7A
Annie Gravitt, 91
Betty Harbin, 75
Hazel Hudgins, 89
Robert Pruitt, 71
Clarence Smith, 64
Pamela Angelbeck, 75
Jeanne Beattie, 83
Robert Burton, 51
Samuel Collins, 74
Sophie Diaz, 20
Harold Evans, 85
Roy Gabrels, 77
Eliseo Gonzalez, 81
Jeffrey Hatley, 33
Spencer Hinton
Dannie Kidd, 52
Mary Loggins
Mary Ogletree, 78
Joseph Pugh, 50
James Rice, 89
Hugh Roberts, 77
Benjamin Sims
Dean Stephens, 91
Monica Thomas
Hazel Ward, 80
Miles Wilbanks, 70
