Stephens County Sheriff’s Office Awarded Georgia Gang Activity Prosecution Grantent

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, has been awarded a Gang Activity Prosecution (GAP) Grant to enhance efforts in identifying and prosecuting gang members in the local community.

Sheriff Randy Shirley explains that the $70,000 grant was appropriated by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) in the FY25 State of Georgia budget, saying “The GAP Grant is part of a competitive state initiative to strengthen gang activity prosecutions across Georgia.”

The State of Georgia set aside $1,250,000 in funds from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 state budget for a competitive grant to facilitate gang activity prosecutions in the state, with GEMA/Homeland Security Director Chris Stallings saying, “International, regional, and home-grown street gangs are deteriorating the safety of our communities. The GAP grant will provide critical resources to county and local agencies to combat this threat. Gangs are not an urban problem; they endanger all Georgia communities.”

With the awarded funds, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office have been establishing a comprehensive local database of gang members and associates. This resource will be shared among partnering federal, state and local agencies, facilitating a cohesive approach to tracking gang activities, and connecting individuals to specific crimes.

Officials state that the database is expected to be a critical tool in creating the necessary links between gang affiliations, members, and criminal activities, that will ultimately contribute in making our county – as well as northeast Georgia communities – safer. 

For more information on this initiative or the GAP Grant, contact Captain Stephen Stewart at (706) 886-2514 or Chief Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Boykin at (706) 886-7920.

In a correction from a WNEG News article on Oct. 31 providing preliminary notification of the above grant award, WNEG incorrectly identified the grant as a State and Local Cybersecurity Grant program award. The Cybersecurity Grant is still in the application, review and award process and has not yet been awarded for the current cycle.