GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE
Online Quarterly News
1st Quarter - 2019
Message from the President
It is with a heavy and somber heart as I write this article because this week, we lay to
rest Henry County Police Officer Michael Smith. Officer Smith is the sixth Georgia
law enforcement officer to be killed in the line-of-duty this year. Previously killed
were:
Officer Chase Lee Maddox of the Locust Grove Police Department
EOW 2/9/2018
Officer Anthony Christie of the Savannah Police Department
EOW 5/25/2018
Chief of Police Frank A. McClelland Jr. of the Ludowici Police Department
EOW 9/15/2018
Officer Antwan DeArvis Toney of the Gwinnett County Police Department
EOW 10/20/2018
Inside
Officer Edgar Isidro Flores of the Dekalb County Police Department
EOW 12/13/2018
This Issue
Assistant Executive Director’s Message…. 4
A Thin Blue Line………………………………………….… 6
One Mind Campaign……………………...…………. 8
In Case You Missed It……..……………………..……. 10
Getting Below 100……………...………………..…….. 12
Are Your Officers Prepared for Disaster?.. 16
Job Postings………………………………………………………. 18
GACP Recognizes First African–American
Police Officer…………………………………………………….. 22
Safe Place For Newborns Act……………………... 26
Each of these brave men paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting our homes and com-
munities which reminds of these two Bible verses John 15:13 “Greater love has no one
than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” And Matthew 5:9 “Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
I would also ask we keep sending our prayers to Covington Police Officer Matt
Cooper who was critically wounded as he was protecting his community.
My tenure as your President is almost halfway completed; time is going by quickly. I
want to update everyone on where we are with my goals. Later in this newsletter
there will be an update of the One Mind campaign. I hope everyone can get on board
with this initiative. Mental Illness is a very serious issue not only in Georgia but the
entire country. Our prisons and jails are the largest providers of mental health ser-
vices in the country. The federal government just passed sweeping Criminal Justice
Reform with one of the components being the early release of many who have been
incarcerated. Without offering an opinion, pro or con, it will without a doubt release
some with mental illness back into our communities. We have to do a better job of
understanding and training ourselves and our officers on how to identify and interact
with persons experiencing mental health issues.
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