HOMER — Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed has a lot to be proud of regarding the recent accomplishments of his agency.
Recently, the Banks County Sheriff's Office became the 23rd sheriff's office in Georgia to receive State of Georgia Law Enforcement Certification.
Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Brian Rickman, who began his career as the assistant district attorney in Banks County, presented the certification plaque to Speed and his deputies during a meeting of the Banks County Commission.
"This is more than just a piece of paper," Rickman said. "When you have a community law enforcement agency that is certified, this is — for lack of a better term — a really big deal. Certification is a progressive and time-proven way that local law enforcement agencies review and improve their overall performance."
During his introduction, Rickman explained how few agencies have attained the state certification accomplishment.
"Of more than 700 law enforcement agencies in Georgia, only 123 have achieved this status," Rickman said. "Out of 159 sheriff's offices in the state of Georgia, your sheriff's office is the 23rd to receive the certification out of 159.
"The Banks County Sheriff's Office had to meet 129 standards of the Georgia certification program, covering eight areas essential to effective law enforcement," Rickman said.
Benefits of certification include:
- Greater operational and administrative effectiveness;
- Confirmation that the agency practices are consistent with progressive professional standards;
- Enhanced understanding of agency policies and practices;
- Greater public confidence in the agency;
- Recognition in the field of outstanding achievement;
- Reduced liability potential; and
- Greater governmental and community support.
"Back in 2013, when I came to work for Sheriff Speed, he told me that one of the objectives and goals that we were to meet was we were to have our state certification by the end of this first term," said Chief Deputy Shawn Wilson. "He has pushed that. The men and women back here in uniforms and suits, they have pushed that. It's been a long, hard road and tonight we're here to receive that presentation."
Speed was quick to share the credit for the accomplishment.
"First and foremost, to the men and women of the Banks County Sheriff's Office, outstanding job!" Speed told his employees. "I have some of the best officers in the state of Georgia, hands down. I believe that every day.
"Banks County is fortunate and blessed to have a group of men and women who are dedicated to the service of this county," Speed said. "We take them for granted sometimes, but I can guarantee you at any time day or night if you need help when you pick up the phone and call one of those folks are going to be there, and when they come they are going to come with compassion, professionalism and a willingness and an attitude to get the job done. That right there speaks volumes to me of the folks that we have here in Banks County, and I appreciate each and every one of them."
Lt. Carissa McFaddin received a special recognition for her work on the certification process.
Banks County Commission Chairman Jimmy Hooper praised Speed and his officers for their achievements.
"Sheriff Speed has done an outstanding job in trying to provide the best services for our county with the staff and personnel that he had and the resources that he had, and he's done an outstanding job" Hooper said. "That's a great honor and I'm proud for Sheriff Speed and his deputies, but I'm also proud for Banks County."
In addition to the state certification accomplishment, the sheriff's office also was awarded third place in the International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Challenge in the Sheriff 1-50 Sworn Deputies category.
The NLEC focuses on the traffic safety issues of impaired driving, occupant protection, and speed awareness.
A panel of evaluators review each agency's application and assign points based on the established criteria. All of the national evaluators are independent members of the law enforcement community, public safety, and corporate partners who have demonstrated advanced knowledge of highway safety initiatives.
BCSO also received a first-place award recently for accomplishments in highway safety by departments with 26 to 50 officers at the 16th-annual Governor's Challenge awards program.
Additionally, the sheriff's office was recognized at the Governor's Challenge as Rookie of the Year, an award given to the top first-time applicant in the statewide awards program.
For the second year in a row, Banks County Deputy Brandon Brown was selected to received the Officer of the Year DUI Award from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety for the North East Traffic Enforcement Network (NETEN) region at a recent awards ceremony. During 2015, Brown made a total of 108 DUI arrests.
The NETEN region includes law enforcement agencies in Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Rabun, Stephens and White counties.
