BRASELTON – With two-thirds of Hall County’s population living south of Oakwood (according to the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce) the South Hall Business Coalition wanted to hear from Sheriff Gerald Couch and tour the new Sheriff’s Office headquarters building that opened in their part of the county in November 2014.
The original plan was for Sheriff Couch to address the group in February but an unprecedented winter storm prevented that from happening. Tuesday’s expected high of 85-degrees, however, easily removed any possibility of an ice-event cancelling Sheriff Couch’s speech.
Located near the intersection of Friendship and Spout Springs Roads, several dozen coalition members toured the 10,000-square foot facility that once housed a day care business. At a purchase price of $700,000 and paid for with SPLOST funds, the full-service facility is home to 60 employees.
Sheriff Couch said traffic congestion and population growth led him to open the new facility. “Now things are so much more urban (in south Hall County) and with the traffic problems that we have, I felt it necessary to move us out from downtown (Gainesville) and to the communities that we serve,” Couch said.
Couch said it also had a psychological effect, “It gets us out into the community that we serve; it’s not only good for the community but it’s good for the officers.”
With that Couch touched on the current climate of strained community-law enforcement relations prominent in recent news.
“I find it very tragic that in Ferguson (Missouri) relationships were not established prior to that incident (the police shooting of Michael Brown in August, 2014, and the subsequent civil unrest),” Couch said.
“It’s too late to establish a relationship after you have something happen,” he added.
“So what I have been doing, along with Chief Carol Martin of the Gainesville Police Department, is we’re going to a lot of functions and a lot of events and we build those relationships.”
“Could that happen here?” Couch asked rhetorically. “Yes, of course it could. But if you have those relationships already in place it’ll help maybe calm the nerves of folks before it happens.”
He then added, “I think you’re going to continue to see this out-of-control dislike or hatred of law enforcement. It’s the most curious time that I have ever seen…but those who are here to serve and protect are seen now as the villains and the criminals are (seen as) actually the victims.”
“It’s kind of an upside-down world right now,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to…have those good relationships.”
“We are very responsive to any type of complaint; all complaints gets investigated,” Couch explained.
Couch said the use of audio recorders by the deputies during an incident clears most of the complaints. “Nine times out of ten it’ll clear the officer.” He said in situations where inappropriate actions had been used by officers he dealt quickly.
He was asked about the possible use of body cameras by the Sheriff’s Office and adding video evidence to the audio recording currently in use.
“We’re still looking at that,” he answered, but pointed at a challenge to their use. “You have to ask permission to video when you go into a private home. That’s a problem.”
And cost is a consideration. “I would have to equip probably around 325…with body cameras…at $1000 each…plus all the high-definition digital storage…so you’re looking at a tremendous cost.”
“I love the concept of body cameras, but at what cost?”
Sheriff Couch said he was looking long and hard at making the investment while watching for federal grants that might develop. “We’ll continue to look at that.”
