Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Citizens must decide on county police

Please allow me this opportunity to offer a short response to many recent articles regarding the county commission filing a law suit against Sheriff Randall Johnson.

As sheriff of Fayette County, Randall Johnson is an elected constitutional officer answerable only to the citizens of Fayette County. As such, he holds the office of Sheriff, which is the “Office of the People,” whose authority and responsibility is dictated through our state constitution, general law, and case law.

As a result of citizen complaints concerning the Fayette County Commission’s marshals department, the sheriff became aware of a number of traffic and criminal cases made by the department. Upon review of this situation, he grew concerned that the marshals department had shifted its focus from county code enforcement activities to criminal and traffic law enforcement, a decision that can only be legally reached with voter approval.

In his letter of Aug. 21 to the Fayette County Commission, Sheriff Johnson outlined his concerns and advised the commission that prisoners could not be accepted from “their” marshal’s department.

This decision was made in an effort to avoid civil litigation by individuals who were illegally or inappropriately detained by an agency with authority limited to the enforcement of county codes and ordinances.

The Fayette County Commission filed suit against the sheriff for his decision, which was made solely in the interest of Fayette County citizens. The commission’s action forced the sheriff to respond through the courts.

Insistence by the Fayette County Commission that “their” marshals department is a county police department undermines the citizens’ voice in determining whether to establish an additional level of expensive bureaucracy in the name of county police.

Georgia law safeguards against this subversive and costly tactic and we urge the commission to refrain from their litigious sideshow and let the citizens of Fayette County decide.

J. Terry Norris

Executive Vice President

Chief Operating Officer

Ga. Sheriff’s Association

[The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Inc. is the professional organization representing Georgia’s 159 elected sheriffs by providing training and technical assistance to the office of sheriff throughout the state. The Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, Inc. is a 45-year old children’s charity sponsored by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Inc., which provides a safe and secure home environment for over 120 of Georgia’s abused, abandoned and neglected children.]