Happy New Year! Whew, 2012 has come and gone and as we forge ahead into 2013, I want to share some of the accomplishments of the Sheriff’s Office from 2012. The resilient and hard-working employees of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office endured another tough year, but as in the previous year, they stepped-up and performed at a high level of efficiency. 

During the calendar year of 2012, my staff served 8,258 criminal warrants and almost 22,000 civil papers. In addition, we investigated over 400 criminal cases and the number of registered sex offenders managed monthly increased to 316. Our AFIS unit worked over 2,000 cases, examined more than 7,500 pieces of evidence and made 367 identifications of criminals. The criminal records section conducted over 7,200 background checks. 

We assisted 546 motorists, escorted more than 720 people to the Liberty House and similar facilities, and conducted over 33,000 drug tests of offenders.

At the jail, nearly 18,400 were processed for admission or release and nearly 90,000 visitors came to see them. The staff managed an average daily inmate population of around 849. At the Judicial Building, nearly 141,300 visitors were processed and over 2,600 items of contraband were taken. All of this to assure the security of the courts, where between the Judicial Building and the jail, more than 33,270 cases were heard. 

To help prevent youth from coming to jail, we conducted character education classes in the majority of Dougherty County’s elementary and middle schools and conducted 85 interventions with troubled youth. We also held a youth summer camp for five weeks and a variety of other community events. These were all conducted without using any taxpayer dollars.

Since being elected Sheriff four years ago, I have done my best to maximize the efficiency of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office while improving the level of service we provide. I have faithfully served the youth of this county and been a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. I have been a good team player with the County, other law enforcement agencies, and community organizations. 

I have been very honored and humbled to serve as Sheriff of Dougherty County for the past four years and want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. As I move forward into my second term, I am asking you to join my team and help me in making our community a safer place to call home. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 430-3259 or visit our Facebook page or our website at www.doughertysheriff.com. May God bless you with a very safe and healthy 2013!

About Sheriff Kevin Sproul