Home | Archives | Photo Gallery | About Donald | Contact Us | Campaign Overview

Priorities:

My priority is to provide quality public safety services to Rockdale County residents. I will continue to build bridges and partnerships with the county communities to ensure:

In the short term:

Ensure Adequate Public Safety Funding – As professional salaries and benefit packages continue to cost more, funding continues to be an issue. Importantly, the retention of qualified officers is vital to the county. Keep pace with new technology and equipment is necessary, but costly. I will seek new and creative funding mechanisms including grant funding for innovative new programs and pilot projects, purchase of equipment and capital improvements.

Aggressively Fighting substances abuse, especially methamphetamine and its subsequent impact on increasing street crimes and youth programs – Increase gang activity, the use of unlawful drugs – especially methamphetamine, continues to increase, causing a ripple effect on our youth, families, schools, employees, and the public. Property and identity fraud crimes are increasing in direct relationship to the use of drugs. A Street Crimes Unit can identify and investigate those crimes that are drug related. This strategy, along with a system wide approach including Drug Court, and specialized supervision and treatment through jail sanctions and parole and probation will reduce street crime.

Building Bridges and Embracing Community Partnerships – We must build a strong, positive community partnership. I am committed to keeping the public informed on actions and functions of the Sheriff’s Office and will directly communicate with business owners and residents to discuss community concerns. The Sheriff’s Office is in a prime position to provide assistance, education and other services to the community. I am a strong supporter of the existing programs but I have concrete ideas on additional programs that will benefit the Rockdale County. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office will be more involved with our schools, participate in previously mentioned gang prevention and similar programs.

Improve rehabilitation effects for the incarcerated – The average daily jail population is close to 400 plus inmates. I intend to continue and improve many of the present programs of the Sheriff’s Office because they are good for the community. They help reduce the costs of caring for inmates and their families. They enhance the ability of individuals to take responsibility for themselves, their families and our community. I want to expand the drug and substance abuse units, a program that assist inmates in taking responsibilities for their additions. I will work with domestic violence experts to develop a plan on dealing with those incarcerated for acts of violence committed against family members.

Mentally Ill Offenders – Mentally ill offenders tend to stay in jail longer, are more expensive to hold in custody, pose a higher risk for re-incarceration, and are at a high risk for suicide while incarcerated. I will continue to work with the mental health resources in Rockdale County and will collaborate with local mental health and other health care providers to strengthen alternative resources to incarceration. Together we can improve conditions for mentally ill offenders while in custody and develop transitional programs to address their special needs, thereby reducing the impact they have on the local criminal justice system.

Mentally Ill Citizens – Mentally ill citizens require the use of basic strategies and special considerations when approach by law enforcement personnel. I will ensure that Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office have effective operational guidelines for agency members who respond to citizens suspected of suffering from mental illness; also known as EDP/ Emotionally Disturbed Persons. It will be the policy of the Sheriff’s Office to provide citizens in a state of mental health crisis with appropriate intervention in accordance with current Georgia Statues.

Nationally Recognized Accreditations – I will immediately initiate the membership of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the American Correctional Association (ACA), and the National Commission for Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), and maintaining the agencies State Law Enforcement Certification. The overall purpose of these major accreditation programs is to improve delivery of law enforcement services by the increase of the Sheriff’s Office presence in the community. Each sworn deputy is state certified law enforcement with same powers as a police officer. As part of the Rockdale County law enforcement community, the Sheriff’s Office is in a prime position to provide assistance, education and other services to the community. I have a concrete plan on programs that will benefit the county. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office will be more involved in our schools, participate in various gang prevention and similar programs, and I will continue all current Drug Prevention (i.e. D.A.R.E.) programs.

In the mid-term

Keeping up with technology – Ensure that the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office does not lag behind its local partners in the use of current equipment, such as radio communication, resulting in significant officer safety issues. Ensure specialized training need to investigate computer crimes and criminal trends in Rockdale County. I will aggressively pursue state and federal government funding to meeting the technological needs of the Sheriff’s Office.

Providing and adequate Detention Facility - Incarceration in the Rockdale County Jail continues to be a challenge; I will ensure that local dollars are spent properly. I will ensure that local dollars are used to allow inmates to participate in treatment, education and family integration prior to release, and allow inmates to more easily locate jobs and housing that can lead to a successful return to their homes.

Ensuring emergency preparedness – I will ensure the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office will be a leader in the development of disaster response preparedness and mitigation. Nevertheless, major hurricanes have reminded us that we still have much planning and preparation to do to ensure Rockdale County’s readiness in case of a disaster. I will focus on business continuity plans as well as responding to those individuals who are unable to care for themselves. I will also persuade residents to develop their own disaster plans and disaster kits that will assist them in the first critical hours of a disaster when emergency services may not be available.

Latest News!

Dems Pick Ferguson 7/16/2008

Sheriff candidates to hold campaign events 6/20/2008

CAMPAIGN SPEECH: The South Rockdale Civic Association
Political Campaign Forum 6/17/2008

---