Toccoa PD welcomes 3 new faces

As previously reported, the Toccoa Police Department was seeking applicants to fill open positions; since then, Interim Police Chief Jimmy Mize has hired three new patrolmen.

Mize spoke on behalf of the new hires, saying they are a great group of men.

“We were able to get some good qualified people here in our local area to apply, and I think we had a great turnout for the positions we needed to fill. I think they’ll be great assets for us,” said Mize.

The patrolmen are Chris Carter, Daniel Gilstrap and Doug Crews, all of which recently sat down with WNEG News to talk about their backgrounds in law enforcement and what they hope to bring to Toccoa.

Carter, a native of Toccoa, looks forward to working with the public, and being back in his home town.

“I have about seven years of experience…I finally came back home, I was born and raised here (Stephens County), more than anything I want to be a community officer for the people,” Carter said.

Gilstrap, who always wanted to live in Toccoa, hopes to make Toccoa an even greater place to live by utilizing his 17 years of law enforcement experience.

“I just recently moved here to Toccoa a few years ago, and I’ve always felt like I’d end up here, from coming here in the past. I had family that worked here for years…and my best friend lives here. I travel and play music, so it just led me here,” Gilstrap said.

“I just want to be a servant to the community, and work hard for them. I want to represent the department well,” he added.

Crews told WNEG News that he is looking forward to being here in Toccoa and serving the community.

“I have over 15 years of experience in Law Enforcement…With my experience, I feel like there isn’t much I don’t know how to do,” Crews said.

The group of new officers all discussed hopes of integrating new technology, designed for Law Enforcement, to increase productivity and safety in Toccoa.

For more information, contact the Toccoa Police Department at 706-282-3244.