Sheriff Hobby enjoys meeting and serving the community more and more each day and invites all citizens to contact him if they need assistance.
In his first two years in office, Sheriff Jeff Hobby has put in force a new policy that all inmates wear matching jump suits (males in pink and females in green). The Worth County Jail has contracted with Southern Correctional Medicine to oversee the health and welfare of inmates. This change has saved hundreds of hours that Deputies were spending to escort inmates to and from doctor’s offices and the hospital. This change not only allows for more patrol hours by Deputies, but is saves the County money. A commissary was started in April of 2013 for the inmates. Inmates are now able to order items off a menu each week that they prefer (personal items/snacks etc). The commissary in return makes a small profit on each order. That profit is used to purchase much needed items for inmates such as bed mats, shower shoes, jumpsuits, a washing machine, basketballs and other equipment for recreation. This has saved the County in excess of $5,000.00 to date.
In the Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff has updated and written new policies and procedures for the office, put in place a rank structure in all divisions, and partnered with the Worth County Board of Education and the Sylvester Elementary School to implement the CHAMPS Program for students. Sheriff Hobby also reorganized the main office by bringing a Georgia Crime Information Center (GClC) terminal back into the main office which allows more timely processing. Also, renovations have been done that allows improved utilization of office space and provides improved security for office personnel and GClC terminals. The Drug Unit has also been restructured to increase efficiency. All Deputies, Office
Personnel and Jail Personnel now utilize the Eagle Advantage Software package to better manage Incident and Traffic reports, Service ofWarrants, Civil Service, booking of inmates, and Transports. The software then compiles statistics that are put into a UCR report monthly that helps qualify the Sheriff’s Office in the Grant process. The Sheriff’s Office now works the majority of the motor vehicle accidents in the County in order to keep from tying up manpower and time waiting for the Georgia State Patrol to cover the wrecks; this saves time for citizens as well since they do not have to wait as long for a GSP Trooper to respond.
In the past two years Sheriff Hobby organized a Turkey Shoot and a Poker Run to raise money for equipment for the Deputies. Both of these were successful, raising a little over $15,000.00 and Sheriff Hobby thanks each citizen that participated to make these events a success. This money has been used to provide Deputies new bullet proof vests (along with a $6,000.00 grant); flashlights, batons, and other much needed equipment. The remainder will be put toward replacing worn out duty gear (gun belts, holsters, pepper spray holders, baton holders, etc.)
With the immediate need to replace worn out vehicles, it was determined that the most prudent business decision based on available funds was to lease 5 new trucks on a 4-year lease. This year the Sheriff has worked with the Georgia Dept. of Public Safety and DOD to acquire 2 HMMWVs and 20 M16 5.56 caliber rifles, all at no cost to the county. The Sheriff’s Office applied and received a $17,480.00 Grant in December 2014 for a new Live Scan (electronic finger printing) for the jail. The Sheriff continues to look for grants to better enhance the job performance and efficiency of all Divisions and Units of the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Hobby’s goal for the coming year is to continue to improve service to the community and citizens through progressive law enforcement. He hopes to add additional Patrol Units throughout the County and better serve the community by enhancing the Drug and Criminal Investigation Units. Sheriff Hobby would like to thank everyone who continues to support the Sheriff’s Office and our fundraisers. It takes everyone working together to keep Worth County safe. Let’s make 2015 a great year for our community.