Sheriff’s office personnel have advanced training

Two officers with the Grady County Sheriff’s Office attended a specialized training conference last week in Northern Georgia.
Grady County Sheriff Lieutenants Steve Clark and Russell Register attended and received training and information emphasizing highway safety and leadership training. A Governor’s Office of Highway Safety grant provided the educational opportunity at the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association 2011 Command Staff Training Conference.
“The Command Staff Training Conference offers an opportunity for the leadership within sheriffs’ offices to attain specialized training on highway safety, leadership development and current trends in Georgia, and to develop partnering relationships statewide,” stated Tonia Welch, training director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Inc.
The three days of intensive training was conducted at Lake Lanier Island, April 12-14, for the upper-level command staff of sheriffs’ offices from throughout the state. More than 160 officers, including sheriffs, chief deputies, and top level officers, participated in the training conference.
In the past, limited funds were a barrier in providing specialized highway safety enforcement training for sheriffs and their command staff statewide, until the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety partnered with the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association to provide advanced and specialized training for deputy sheriffs as well as a forum for discussion and information exchange between sheriffs and their command staff.
“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is proud of our long-standing partnership with the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and the sheriffs of our state. The command staff training is another example of the professionalism of the sheriffs and law enforcement leaders who lead their respective forces. The citizens of Georgia are well served by these dedicated public servants,” stated Harris Blackwood, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
—Mesha C. Wind