Junior Deputy Program

The School Resource Division of the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office has been in operation since 2001 when a deputy sheriff was assigned to the three county elementary schools to provide School Resource as well as teach the S.A.F.E. program to fifth grade students.  The S.A.F.E. (Students Are For Education) program teaches students the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, how to handle peer pressure, the dangers of youth gangs and other important topics that students may face. 

In the spring of 2005, Sheriff Haston was asked by the Board of Education to consider placing School Resource Officers in the other schools in the Elbert County School System due to the fact that the Elberton Police Department was removing their officers from the city schools.  Sheriff Haston believed very strongly in having deputies in the schools and therefore decided to take on the new responsibility of providing school resource to every school in Elbert County.  Two additional deputies from the Sheriff’s Office were transferred to the School Resource Division.

In addition to School Resource responsibilities, this division handles many community relation events and programs.  One of the newest programs is the computerized child identification system that provides parents with an ID card and poster of their child.  This system was purchased at a price of approximately $6000.00 and this money was raised in a golf tournament that was sponsored by local businesses. 

Sheriff's Fun Day

Another very successful program is the Junior Deputy Academy.  This program was started in the summer of 2004 and there have been 3 academy classes since then.  This past year a Level 1 and Level 2 academy was held.  This program has received a lot of attention from the community and praise from parents and community leaders.  This summer the program is being expanded once again to include more than one class for each level due to the number of students interested in the academy and a new Level 3 academy class was added.

Character Days is a program held during spring break each year for a selected group of students from the elementary schools.  During this program the students go fishing, play team-building games, and learn important skills for working together.  The goal of the week is to build teamwork, responsibility, and integrity. 

MADD honored the Sheriff’s Office with the Creative Youth Program Award for 2004.  This award is a statewide award for this size agency for the programs that focus on the youth of Elbert County.

School Resource Officers are responsible for attending community relation events such as the Bowman Fall Festival, Senior Citizen Day at the fair, and other events that build trust between the community and the Sheriff’s Office.  School Resource Officers also teach drug and alcohol awareness classes, bike safety classes, seat belt safety classes, and other educational classes as requested by the community and schools.

The goal of the School Resource program is to provide a safe learning environment for the students and a safe teaching environment for the teachers and faculty at the schools.  School Resource Officers made over 140 arrests in the schools this past school year.  Through officer presence and a continuing effort to make people aware of the dangers associated with criminal activity, we believe that the School Resource Officer program is making a difference in the schools and in the student’s lives.