Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley Announces Retirement
WNEG News received a press release from Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley late this afternoon, announcing his retirement. Below is his announcement, published verbatim:
After much prayer and supplication, and a profound sense of gratitude and nostalgia, I write to you today to announce my retirement as your Sheriff after serving our community for 16 memorable years.
It has been an incredible honor and privilege of my life to lead your sheriff’s office and work alongside the best and brightest men and women within the sheriff’s office. With a shared vision with our community, we set achievable goals that became a reality ensuring the safety and well-being of all of Stephens County. I am immensely proud of the progress that we as a unified community have made during my time with the Sheriff’s Office.
As I reflect on the past five decades of my career in law enforcement, I am humbled by the countless experiences, challenges, and achievements that have shaped our community and your Sheriff’s Office into what it is today. Together, we have accomplished so much, and I am immensely proud of the progress that we have made.
I want to highlight some of the significant accomplishments that we have achieved together during my tenure as your Sheriff:
2009 Initiated an inmate advocacy program at the Stephens County Jail aimed at helping inmates with substance abuse problems access Christian-based treatment programs. The results of the Jail Inmate Advocate resulted in the successful placement of 1493 individuals into treatment as of this writing.
Implemented the agency’s first-ever internal computer network, revolutionizing our operations and reducing the need for paper files. This was a considerable cost savings to taxpayers.
In a cooperative venture with the Mountain Judicial District Attorney, we formed a three-county narcotics division that later expanded into a ten-county (10) region from the northeast to the northwest. The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is one of two mega drug enforcement units in the state. Each of those participating 10 sheriff’s offices and 2 city police departments aligned with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and work closely with our “local” federal partners. All assigned deputy’s salaries are fully funded through a grant from the state’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
2010 With no anti-substance abuse program being taught by anyone in the county. The Sheriff’s Office formed a partnership with the Stephens County Board of Education and superintendent to teach a 17-week course on making healthy choices. The School Resource Officers (SRO) with the Sheriff’s Office attended the Georgia Sheriff’s Association’s Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (CHAMPS) Program which was founded in 2003. This program focuses its efforts on our 5th-grade students. Each SRO must be recertified through yearly training at GSA’s Headquarters.
We formed the Deputy Sheriff Explorer Post 77 program with an SRO and an assistant advisor to attract students who may be interested in a law enforcement career for ages 14 to 20. We have successfully employed six program graduates. This program has contributed to empowering and educating our youth while enhancing our agency’s efficiency and effectiveness.
We implemented a formal vehicle replenishment cycle system in cooperation with the Board of Commissioners, saving the citizen’s tax dollars in annual maintenance.
2011 We achieved our initial State Certification under the GACP’s Law Enforcement Certification Program, demonstrating our commitment to modern policy and procedure guidelines. The establishment of the Sheriff’s Response Team and the Traffic/Crime Suppression unit further enhanced our ability to respond to high-risk events and target areas of concern within our community.
We contracted with the county commission and signed an agreement where the county funded a deputy sheriff to handle the Sheriff’s Inmate litter detail. In later years, the county moved in a different direction and canceled the contract with the litter detail.
2013 We obtained our first-ever narcotic detection dog, K9 Kilo, and implemented this program into our operations, significantly improving our ability to combat narcotics trafficking and track suspects.
2014 We successfully launched our Junior Deputy Summer Camp, providing a safe two-week, educational environment for 4th grade through 7th grade youths during the summer break. This program is funded through the Drug Abuse, Treatment, and Education (DATE) Fund. This is done at no cost to the taxpayers, only to those who commit crimes.
Being proactive and applying some foresight we implemented the first-ever body camera program in Stephens County and expanded our in-car computers to strengthen our community engagement and transparency efforts and enhance our investigative capabilities.
2016 Due to legislative mandates, we expanded the role of the Court Services unit to provide a safer environment for those visiting the Government Building by installing walk-through magnetometers and x-ray scanners. This was initially funded through Law Library fees and grants.
2017 The completion of the Jail modernization program, which provides inmates with educational programs, secure remote visitation, and law library access was completed without the use of taxpayer dollars.
We expanded our K9 unit providing necessary coverage to each shift ensuring the safety and security of our community.
We started our Citizens Firearm Courses, which allowed members of the community an opportunity to learn gun safety and firearm handling from our trained instructors.
2018 With the assistance of local benefactors, we constructed our own training center, which through partnerships with the University of North Georgia Public Safety Academy, has become recognized regionally for its exceptional training programs.
2019 We obtained our first-ever immersive Use of Force/De-Escalation Simulator, enhancing our training capabilities and ensuring the safety of deputies and the public.
2022 Through a partnership with the Stephens County Board of Education, the board funds the salary of each School Resource Officer (SRO) salary. Each Deputy Sheriff is stationed in each of the county’s six schools, furthering our commitment to ensuring a safe learning environment for our youth.
2023 Started the agency’s first-ever Citizens Law Enforcement Academy, allowing members of the community to get a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the Sheriff’s Office.
We were awarded 1.2 million dollars, which is the largest grant in the history of the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, further enhancing our ability to serve and protect our community.
These accomplishments are a testament to the dedication, hard work, and collaboration of our entire staff and the community, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it. While stepping down from my role as Sheriff, I have confidence we are leaving a professional and progressive agency in the hands of my successor. I want to wish each of the candidates the best of luck in the upcoming election and the knowledge that the dedicated men and women of our Sheriff’s Office will continue to serve you with the same level of commitment and professionalism.
As I embark on this new chapter of my life, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone for your unwavering support, trust, and partnership over the years. It has been an honor to serve as your Sheriff, and I will cherish the memories and friendships that we have shared. My last day of service as your Sheriff will be December 31st, 2024.
With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,
Your sheriff, Sheriff Randy Shirley