UNIFORM PATROL DIVISION
The Uniform Patrol Division (UPD) of the Spalding County Sheriff's Office is responsible for patrolling the unincorporated areas of the county, answering calls for service, and responding to 911 calls involving emergencies. UPD is the most visible division of the Sheriff's Office.
UPD also assists other County Departments with traffic control and assistance when requested. UPD partnered with Emergency Management and the Health Department to deliver flu and COVID vaccines. UPD has also assisted Public Works on several occasions throughout the year including placing Christmas lights in Orchard Hills during the holiday season. UPD also manned security stations at voting precincts during the national elections. Members of UPD also assist with civil protest inside the City of Griffin during the late spring and early summer. UPD also assists the other divisions of the Sheriff's Office when they are needed.
UPD consists of 39 sworn deputy positions that handle calls and patrol the county. The division is run by Major Jeff Eidson and his assistant division commander Captain John Corley. There are four shifts each working 12-hour days, each shift is currently commanded by a lieutenant and they are each assisted by a sergeant. When UPD is a full strength each shift is allotted nine deputies. UPD also maintains four K-9 teams for apprehension and narcotics detection. In 2022, the Sheriff's Office obtained a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) for the creation of the H.E.A.T. Unit. The H.E.A.T. Unit will consist of two full-time Deputies.
GCIC Operations also falls under UPD, there currently six GCIC operators and a civilian supervisor. GCIC Operations are responsible for placing information on the state computer. The information that is placed on the computer varies widely, stolen items, stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted persons and administrative messages. GCIC Operations also removes those items from the state computer when they are located or recovered. The GCIC Operations supervisor, Melanie Mitchell, also maintains and updates agency training required by GCIC.
Uniform Patrol Division 2020 Statistics
Year
Calls for Service
Avg. Response Time
Time on Scene
2020
31775
9.27 Minutes
20.23
Nature of Activity / Call
2020
Total Activity - Calls / Other
31775
Incident Reports
5916
Traffic Citations
2510
Traffic Warnings
923
Traffic Accidents
1105
Alarm Calls
1565
911 Hang Up Calls
495
Disturbance Calls
612
Domestic Calls
2149
Traffic Stops
5207
Vehicle Inspections
294
Assist Motorist
85
Suspicious Activity/Persons
2287
School Crossings
118
Subject with Weapon
65
Shots Fired in Area
406
Information Calls
948
Civil Matter
1142
Location Check
604
DUI Arrests
13
NOTE: Not all categories of calls are used in the chart for brevity. Traffic accidents include private party accidents.
