The old adage that “time flies the older you get” seems to be true more and more.  Autumn is already upon us and 2014 is quickly coming to a close.  But before this year is completely over, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office wants to thank you for your support by hosting our 5^th annual “Building Unity in the Community” cookout.  The cookout will be held on Saturday, October 18^th, at Baldwin Park from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  Baldwin Park is located just off Gillionville Rd. on Baldwin Dr.  This event is our way of saying thanks to the citizens of our community. 

A sense of community is incredibly important.  The Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office began an initiative to build a stronger sense of community in Albany/Dougherty County several of years ago by adopting the slogan “Building Unity in the Community” and launching initiatives to live up to our slogan.  We conducted our first annual Cookout at the Carver Sports Complex, followed the next year with an event held at the Eighth Avenue Ballpark Complex and the year after at the Putney Community Center. Last year, the event was held at C.W. Heath Park. Moving or relocating the event each year allows a greater variety of people to take advantage of what the event has to offer.  Even though the cookout is taking place at Baldwin Park, all citizens of Dougherty County are invited to attend. Hopefully, as the event grows, people will want to attend each year. This will encourage people to mingle across-town in a way that builds a greater city/county-wide sense of community. 

The Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office also seeks to bridge the gap between Law Enforcement and the community in many different ways and this is one of them.  Families and citizens can attend and have an opportunity to sit down and talk with Law Enforcement and other organizations that have resources available to the citizens of Albany/Dougherty County.

I want to personally thank you for your efforts in helping Dougherty County to become a safer place to call home.  I have said many times in the past that I am very fortunate and blessed to work with so many caring and supportive individuals on a daily basis at the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office.  I want you to come out and meet some of these individuals and let us get to know you.  We want to hear your concerns and discuss the issues that you are dealing with.  We will have representatives from many different areas of expertise available to answer questions.  There will be representatives from other public safety agencies as well.   We will also have plenty of good food to eat as well as games and activities for the children. 

The event is free to the public; however, we are accepting sponsors and/or donations to assist us in making it as successful as possible.  We also encourage vendors and community partners to assist with making this event meaningful and useful, as well as enjoyable.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Lt. Terron Hayes at (229) 344-4363.