As a response to COVID-19, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office has taken measures to help limit the spread of the virus. We have discontinued some of our typical services, limited who is allowed in some of our locations, and cancelled some of our community engagement programs. Our bonding services as well as our Crime Prevention and Youth Services have been limited in order to slow the spread of the virus. We have cancelled all scheduled training events. All of our deputies have been outfitted with hand sanitizer and disinfectant cleaner to ensure their vehicles are clean before and after transporting prisoners. We have also outfitted our deputies with N-95 masks and other necessary PPE equipment to effectively do their jobs in a safe and proficient manner.

At the jail, we have discontinued visitation and outside work details and required all personnel to wear masks to prevent the introduction of the virus. We are also quarantining all new inmates for 14 days before allowing them into general population. We are deep-cleaning and sanitizing the facility daily and working to get 100% of the inmate population tested. All jail staff are screened and their temperature checked prior to being allowed into the facility. These efforts have thus far been successful as we have not had a single case of COVID-19 in our inmate population.

Due to the current cessation of training and court activity, we have reassigned those deputies who normally work in the courts and Training Division to assist with compliance checks of businesses outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order. We currently check an average of about 200 businesses a day to ensure compliance.

Although we are taking extraordinary precautions to protect our staff, we know that the nature of the job places them at risk. More than 10% of our workforce has been infected. Several of those individuals have required hospitalization, as their cases have been severe. All other staff have stepped in, often working overtime, to keep the agency running and to ensure that all of the citizens of Dougherty County continue to receive the protection and service they deserve.

Again, as all of our lobbies are closed, please call ahead if you need our services in person. Drug testing and fingerprinting services are closed. All community engagement events, including classes, are postponed until further notice. For background checks, please submit your requests using the email address on our website.

As with you all, we’re hoping to be able to get back to normal as soon as safely possible. As we all move forward together, we understand that “normal” may not be what it was before. For example, we are exploring the use of video calls to replace through-the-glass visitation at the jail. We are exploring the possibility of live court footage being made available through the County website so the public can exercise their right to access without putting themselves at risk. We are examining virtually every process to determine if there is a better, safer way.

As your Sheriff, it is my honor and privilege to lead – during good times and bad. I am in daily contact with our law enforcement partners, City and County leadership, Phoebe Putney management and the Department of Public Health to ensure that our response to this crisis is appropriate and timely. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. Stay safe and God Bless!