Stay Connected
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Featured Woman
of the Force
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Tabitha Parrott describes the Greene County Sheriff's Office, were she has served as Jail Administrator for almost 15 years, as a family. A Greene County native, Parrott graduated from Greene County High School then later attended The University of Pheniox where she earned her Masters Degree in Business Administration.
Parrott recalls many memorable moments during her career but especially recounts the passing of Chief Deputy Kevin Roberts. "When Roberts passed it was difficult for all of us. He was a wonderful officer and was loved by many. It was a very sad time but I learned just how strong we are as a unit. The Sheriff's Office is a group of professionals. We all take our job very seriously and we aim to always do right by the community," said Parrott.
Parrott spends many days interacting with the public and has attrbuted the start of many great relationships from her affiliation with the Sheriff's Office. Joan Price, who retired from the Sheriff's Office several years ago was a mentor and friend to Parrott. She attributes much of her "hands on" experiance to her while also crediting several management courses she has completed to her success at the Sheriff's Office.
"It feels good to know that what I do here makes a difference. I like meeting new people - many I would have never had the opportunity to meet. For example, there are some wonderful people who come to minister to the inmates. My faith is very important to me and I like to think that some lives are changing for the better here. It's a really nice place to work," said Parrott.
In 2011, Parrott was recognized as the 2011 Administrator Personal of the year. This has been her highest honor at the agency. "It was like my final acceptance," Parrott remembers. "It was the office's way of saying 'We appreciate what you do!' and that made me very proud."
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Greetings!
As your Sheriff, I am constantly asked the question, "Is it legal, or not?" Your deputies are asked the same kinds of questions on a daily basis. Theses deputies also face a wide variety of legal challenges and dilemmas as they discharge their duties.
This month's newsletter will give you insight about many different topics, however I feel it's especially important to bring deputy training to your attention. Officer training becomes a significant issue and the number of subjects that must be covered remains unnoticed by many. Just to name a few: deadly force, less than deadly force, high speed pursuit, search and seizure, mechanics of arrest, firearms qualification, use of the Tazer, use of the radar, verbal judo, unwanted harassment, interviews and interrogations, polygraph or voice-stress analyzer, internet investigations, high-risk warrant service, criminal law updates, traffic law updates; and, such a list goes on and on! In fact, just a few weeks ago our deputies participated in Simunition Training which you will read more about in the feature below.
State law requires every certified law enforcement officer to receive 20 hours of continuing education/ training every year. Most of the above mention subjects are considered high-risk areas and the insurance companies strongly encourage us to provide as much training as we can afford. One of the ways that a law suit can cause a sheriff and the county (all of us!) trouble is when a plaintiff can claim and show a "failure to train". If an officer is sued and the area of complaint is not one where the deputy had received training, the county could be settling an expensive law suit. What is more concerning is that the courts have now distinguished between training and proper training. Another words, "do we issue a policy and fail to train our officers on its specifics, or do we train and retrain on the policy, with examples, scenarios, and discussions such to the point where we can be somewhat assured of a uniform response?"
We are all facing economic challenges but pro-active dollars spent towards focused training cost much less than reactive dollars spent in defense cost. At the beginning of 2009 the Sheriff's Office training budget for approximately 50 employees was $40,000 a year. It is a sad and scary thought that our training budget was reduced to $4,000 in 2009, 10, & 11 while we continued to have approximately 50 employees. We managed to get the budget increased by a few thousand dollars more this year, but it's a far cry from reasonable.
The recent shootings in Connecticut leave me sadden and broken hearted for the victims and their families. However, it serves as a reminder to me that you deserve the best trained police force, and it's my mission to provide the best officers to protect Greene County. I am happy to report the new County Commissioners and I have pledged to work together to improve relations and operations. We believe your safety and well-being is the number one priority for the county and together we have committed to provide the very best for you.
This month we have also launched our Distraction-Free Driving Campaign, Commit to Concentrate. Please take a moment to learn more about Commitment to Concentrate below and Take the Pledge.
My job as sheriff is a honor and a responsibility I do not take lightly. I am committed to serving and protecting you. It's my hope that during this holiday season you all are blessed with the company of friends and family. May we all remember the things which are truly important.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you,
Sheriff Chris Houston
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Commit to Concentrate,
Distraction - Free Driving Campaign
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Because we have five senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste, there are five
ways we can become distracted when driving.
There are three main driving-distractions that tie into our five senses:
Manual: This involves the sense of touch. All manual distractions come from taking
your hands off the wheel to grab something.
Visual: This involves the sense of sight. All visual distractions come from taking your
eyes off the road.
Cognitive: Cognitive distractions are any distractions that cause the driver to take their
mind off the road and not concentrate.
Distractions come in many forms:
* Cell Phones
* Eating & Drinking
* Talking or Singing
* Grooming, putting on makeup
* Using navigational systems
* Adjusting the radio
Many of these activities, such as using your cell phone, involve all three types of driving distractions. When you are texting on your cell phone you are not only looking down (visual distraction), you are taking one hand off the wheel (manual distraction) and not concentrating on the road (cognitive distraction). >>READ MORE>>
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On Thursday, December 6, 2012, the Greene County Sheriff's Office conducted training on searching for an armed suspect.
The training consisted of how to search different areas like, building and house searches, etc. To make this training as realistic as possible, deputies use simunition, a non-lethal training ammo.
Simuntion rounds are designed for law enforcement service weapons. The cartridges require slight changes to the weapon to ensure real life action with reduced pressure and velocity of the round.
Sheriff Houston believes that realism is the most important aspect to professional law enforcement training.
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News from Behind Bars
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What's ok and what's not?
 Within the first 7 days of arrest an inmate can receive the below personal items from their family:
3 white underwear
3 white sock
3 white t- shirt
1 white thermal top only
1 toothbrush
1 shampoo container must be clear to see the liquid
1 toothpaste must be in a clear container
1 deodorant clear container
3 bars of soap
1 white towel
1 white bath towel
After 7 days of incarceration the inmate must get personal items from jail commissary and not from outside sources.
Lotions, conditioners, or powders are not accepted at any time.
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Please consider making a donation to the Georgia Sheriff's
Association to preserve peace in our community and around the
state.
Each year the Georgia Sheriff's Association continues to advance its mission of preserving peace. Through your gift the Association will continue to support: the preservation of the Constitutional Office of Sheriff, crime prevention and awareness programs, the C.H.A.M.P.S. Program for elementary school age children, limited death benefits for Georgia Sheriff's, deputy sheriff's, jail staff, and administrative staff that are killed in the line of duty, specialized training, education programs, development of model operating procedures for sheriff's offices, and Georgia Sheriff's Youth Homes, which provides a safe home and educational opportunity for neglected children of Georgia.
Donations, membership dues, and other purchases from supportive people like you will help the Georgia Sheriff's Association become one of the most widely respected, effective organizations in our state. Your contribution ensures we can continue helping Georgia citizens and the Office of Sheriff.
Click here to vist the website for more details about the Georgia Sheriff's Association. It is easy to join, and all gifts are tax deductible.
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