Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 5A
Willis named at Banks County Sheriffs Office
Banks County Sheriff’s
Office announced Katrina
Willis as the agency’s Inves
tigative Analyst. In this posi
tion, Willis carries out the
duties of evidence custodian
and crime scene technician.
In addition to these tasks,
she also aids case investiga
tors in analyzing case data,
criminal activity and collect
ed evidence.
Willis began her law
enforcement career in Cobb
County at the Cobb County
Sheriff’s Office. She worked
and remained in that capac
ity until offered a position
in the same capacity, Crime
Scene Technician, in Forsyth
County.
She was employed at For
syth County Sheriff’s Office
in March 23, 1998, and
remained in the same unit
that she initially began before
coming to Banks County. At
Forsyth, she worked as the
sole CSI for the agency until
2005 and became a supervi
sor in 2007 where she super
vised eight full time positions
in crime scene and property
and evidence units.
Willis was certified
WILLIS
through POST as an Identi
fication Technician in 1999
and has continuously exam
ined latent prints since that
time. She has been tendered
an expert in Superior Court,
specifically in Crime Scene
Reconstruction, Latent Print
Examiner, Bullet Trajectory,
and Blood Stain Analysis.
She received the Medal of
Merit in 1998 and in 2002 for
exemplary work on major
cases. In 2012, she submit
ted a paper to the Interna
tional Association of Chiefs
of Police where her agency
then won The August Voll-
mer Excellence in Forensic
Science Award. The catego
ry: Significant Investigative
Value in a Major Crime. This
award has not been won by
any other local agency in
Georgia.
In 2013, Willis became
the president of the Georgia
Division of the International
Association for Identifica
tion, which is Georgia’s state
forensic organization. Mem
bership of this organization is
made up of local, state, and
federal agencies with various
disciplines in the forensic
field.
Willis has prepared and
assisted in the organization
of numerous Forensic Sem
inars and Training sessions
through local law enforce
ment agencies, the Interna
tional Association of Identi
fication (IAI), and Forensic
Science Courses which is
taught in many area high
schools. The most recent
of these being the quarterly
Ga-IAI meeting and training
session in March 2016.
In January 2016, Willis
joined the Cobb County
District Attorneys’ Office
Cold Case Unit. Her pri
mary responsibility was to
review cold case murder
case files. She reviewed all
collected property, evidence
and forensic reports. She
also created a report recom
mending reexamination or
additional analysis for items
collected. She currently has
cases assigned to her as
well as reviewing evidence
in cases assigned to others
in the unit. In August 2016,
Willis attained a position at
Piedmont College as a pro
fessor in the Forensic Sci
ence Division.
During the past 20 years,
Willis has worked in excess
of 200 death investigations,
3,200 general investigations
and analyzed and complet
ed over 32,500 latent print
comparisons. She has also
completed over 50 shoe
comparative analyses and
responded as a supervisor
on over 900 additional crime
scene cases.
“We are extremely excited
to have Willis join our team,”
Sheriff Carlton Speed states.
“She brings with her some
extraordinary knowledge
and experience that aligns
with our progressive agency.”
Gillsville seeks answers on Jackson
BOC denying annexation request
BY CINDY R. EDGE
The Gillsville City Coun
cil wants to find out why
the Jackson County Board
of Commissioners denied
a request for annexation of
property into the city.
The city council members
are currently reviewing docu
mentation received from the
Jackson County BOC to help
them better understand the
reasoning for the county’s
decision to deny annexation
of property into the city.
Last month, Mayor Larry
Poole reported that Jackson
County objected to annex
ation of three parcels located
along Diamond Hill Road
because by allowing the par
cels to go into the city, the
county would be required
to permit Gillsville to partic
ipate in negotiation and dis
tribution of matters such as
special local option sales tax.
At a meeting held Tues
day, November 1, Mayor
Poole reported the city is
reviewing information used
by Jackson County commis
sioners regarding their oppo
sition to the three annexation
requests.
“We are continuing to
study this and consider
what our options might be,”
reported Poole. “We would
like to cooperate with them
and basically get our resi
dents annexed into the city
where they can be a part of
us and receive some of the
city services.”
In other business, the
council:
• proclaimed November
as Family Month.
•agreed to continue to
pursue bids to repair fencing
at the city park.
• agreed to ask the
Coca-Cola Corporation for
options regarding updating
the Coca-Cola trademark on
the downtown city hall.
• agreed that Cheryl Dun-
agan to serve as city clerk
during an interim period.
Habersham County to handle
animal control for Baldwin
The Baldwin City Coun
cil, at the meeting on Oct.
24, approved a contract with
Habersham County to pro
vide animal control to the
city.
The one-year contract
amount is $13,971.
The city looked into sever
al other options, but decided
it would be best to go with
Habersham County for pro
viding animal control.
The council did suggest
keeping up with how many
animals are picked up during
the year in order to do a cost
comparison for next year.
Habersham County Ani
mal Control Director Mad-
die Hawkins and two animal
control officers were on hand
at the meeting to answer
questions and address con
cerns from the council.
Hawkins stated the county
was in the process of hir
ing another officer and was
ready to provide animal con
trol to Baldwin.
The animal control will
include the residences in
Baldwin that are in Banks
County.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
monthly meeting, the coun
cil:
• approved the second
reading of the 2016 Millage
Rate Ordinance, keeping the
millage rate at 7.75 mills -
the same as last year. Banks
County residents will pay a
net millage rate of 1.52 mills
- due to a 6.23 mills rollback
that comes as a result of the
local option sales tax reve
nues.
•approved a contract in
the amount of $75,000 with
MD Enterprises for the com
pletion of the Farmer’s Mar
ket. The contract stipulates
that any change orders are to
be in writing and presented
before the city council. Mike
Davidson, MD Enterprises,
said the Farmer’s Market
should be complete by Nov.
30.
•met in closed session
to discuss personnel. When
the meeting re-opened to the
public Mayor Jerry Neace
stated that promotions were
discussed. Charles Webb
was promoted to assistant
police chief and police offi
cers Robert Gardner and
Scott Harvey were promoted
to sergeant.
Brass takes the field
Charles Bates, Paxton Jones, Bailey Redden, Kevin Norris and Grayson Ball are shown performing
with the band at a recent home football game at Banks County High School. Photo by Charles Phelps
Letters to the Editor
Document destruction
services to be offered
Dear Editor:
Tuesday November 15, is America Recycles Day. Why not
recycle all those old documents for free through Document
Destruction Service? On Tuesday, any resident of Banks Coun
ty is invited to drop off documents for destruction at no charge.
Simply gather up your documents and take them to 2160
Damascus Road, Homer. They will be destroyed at no charge.
For more information, please call 706-318-5448 or 706-677-
2779.
We appreciate Document Destruction Service for partnering
with Keep Banks County Beautiful in providing this valuable
service to the residents at no charge.
Sincerely,
Leslie George
Disappointed in action
at CHS football game
Dear Editor:
My husband and I attended Commerce High School’s
Senior Night football game on Friday, Nov. 4, at Tiger Field. We
enjoyed watching the talented Tigers play and see them amass
a large lead by halftime.
We were there, however, to see the Commerce High School
Marching Band perform its halftime show. As owners of
Commerce School of Dance, we have five current students
that either perform with the color guard or play an instmment
in the band. From the beginning of the school year, we had
heard about the band’s new show “Pure Imagination,” and
were told that the best date to see it would be Nov. 4. This was
due to the fact that all of the musical selections would have
been learned and performed by then and that routines would
have been perfected.
We were thoroughly enjoying one of the best high school
halftime shows we had seen when suddenly the Commerce
football players took the field mid-song while the band was still
performing. They began warm-up drills with whistles blowing
and players scrambling toward performing band members.
This was during what turned out to be the last song before
the band was forced off the field. They still had one more
song prepared in what was supposed to be the culmination of
their entire show. I do not know how much time is allotted for
the half or how much time had been used up to that point. I do
know that the Commerce band took the field immediately and
set up very quickly after the visiting team’s band performed
and that neither show seemed to “run long.”
My understanding of the mle requiring both teams to retake
the field for the third quarter at a certain time is to ensure that
no one team gets more time in the locker room with their
coach than the other — not to make sure the halftime show
doesn’t mn too long. Even if the referees had imposed a penal
ty on Commerce (something I doubt would have happened),
would it really have been so horrible to lose a few yards when
you’ve got a dominating lead in order to let your team’s class
mates perform their entire show in their last performance of
the year in front of family, friends and alumnae that had come
to watch them on Senior Night?
To say how hard the band works or how much they sup
port the team or how much color and atmosphere they bring
to games, while true, is not even my point. For all the very
valuable things a high school football program brings to the
community and to the young men who play the game, isn’t
sportsmanship one of those things? What do kids see and
learn about basic civility and respect for others when the foot
ball team is told to intermpt their own classmates in that way?
Sincerely,
Kim Sellers
Policy on letters to the editor
The policy for letters to the editor submitted to The Banks
County News is as follows:
• an original copy of all letters must be submitted for pub
lication. Members of our staff will not type out or hand-write
letters for people who stop by the office and ask them to do so.
• letters to the editor must be signed with the address and
phone number of the person who wrote them. The address
and phone number will be for our verification purposes only
and will not be printed unless the writer requests it.
•e-mailed letters will be accepted but we must have a
phone number and address.
• letters that are libelous will also not be printed. Letters may
also be edited to meet space requirements.
Anyone with questions on the policy is asked to contact
editor Angela Gary at AngieEditor@aol.com or 706-367-2490.
