COFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF: STATEMENT ON CRIME PREVENTION & PROACTIVE POLICING

Douglas, GA – Crime prevention, public education, and awareness, and stopping criminal activity before it has a chance to occur are utmost priorities for the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office. As with most American law enforcement agencies, Coffee County continues to seek ways to increase public safety while respecting the dignity and rights of individuals.
One of the terms often associated with crime prevention in law enforcement agencies is the concept of “proactive policing,” an idea thoroughly embraced and practiced by the representatives of this office.
Having a proactive approach to law enforcement places our focus towards preventing crimes before they have a chance to occur, as opposed to merely reacting or responding once they have taken place. We accomplish this in a number of ways including maintaining a persistent, visible presence in the community and actively engaging residents to address their concerns and needs.
In addressing crime prevention issues, our office works with Coffee County citizens through a network of community-oriented policing strategies. One of our primary goals as a law enforcement agency is to work cooperatively and alongside individuals, groups, and all local public and private organizations to identify and resolve crime-related issues. We recognize that the sheriff’s office cannot effectively deal with such issues alone, and we rely heavily on these community partners, all of which share a mutual responsibility and common benefit in addressing crime prevention concerns.
These community-oriented strategies and partnerships stress prevention, early identification, and timely intervention to deal with issues before they become overwhelming problems.
Building trust between law enforcement and the community is paramount. Our deputies, detectives, and agents are highly encouraged to spend considerable time and effort in developing and maintaining personal relationships with citizens, businesses, schools, and community organizations.
With this is mind, it is important to note the continued efforts of our local H.E.A.T. officers, a mutual collaboration between the sheriff’s office and Douglas Police Dept. with the sole responsibility of enforcing traffic laws and maintaining a persistent presence on our local streets and highways.
School resource officers are integrated into our local school system in an effort to serve as a liaison between law enforcement and the educational system. These officers serve not only to protect our local campuses but to work together with teachers and students in promoting crime prevention and early intervention.
The recent addition of a city/county gang officer serves to better address an issue that has been a great source of concern not only to local law enforcement, but the community as a whole. The presence of gang activity in Coffee County is an unfortunate, but very real, matter, and we are proud to work alongside the police department and others in eradicating and preventing further incidents of violence and gang participation.
As with many issues affecting our community, crime prevention begins in the home and extends outward to our neighborhoods, schools, and all private, public, and government organizations. The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office strives to maintain an active role in community participation and our interaction with those who trust us to serve. We have been, and always will be, “proactive” in our responsibility to ensure and promote the safety and overall well-being of our neighbors.
– Sheriff Doyle T. Wooten