Sheriff Pope Swears In Deputies

Donnie Pope took over as sheriff of Jasper County at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2013, and was swearing in officers while others were welcoming the new year in other ways.

Sheriff Pope swore in his three captains to kick off the evening. Edward Walker is captain over the jail; Larry Mooney is captain over patrol, and Mike Steele is in charge of investigations.

Welcoming the new year with the sheriff and his staff were Rev. Jeremy Ton-dee, pastor at Enon Baptist Church which is the sheriff’s home church; Dr. Scott Caudill, pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Covington, Captain Mooney’s home church, and members and pastor Marquette Brooks of Word Alive Ministries in Monticello.

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Sheriff Pope said that guidance from the Lord is important in each and every position, and certainly as he strives to serve Jasper County as a fair sheriff, balancing community policing and community relations with the utmost respect, he will seek the Lord’s will.

In talking with the new sheriff, he said he faces many new challenges as he seeks to implement improvements. He worked for Sheriff Charles Roper the last 12 years, and Sheriff Mack Tillman before that, and attended four weeks of sheriff’s school, he said, but it’s still a lot. He said that there are 600 places in the state code that say, “the sheriff shall.”

He indicated running the office would be a big balancing act, attempting to balance the needs with the available monies. He said there are tools we would like to have, but he’ll have to be prudent in purchasing because wants are not needs, and funds are limited.

His administrative staff will continue to be Lisa Forbes and Jenifer Kirksey.

He said his focus for the jail is first the safety and security of inmates and staff. He also said that he recognizes it is an aging, deteriorating building which has physical concerns, but he will do all he can to maintain and improve the building within the established limits.

The jail was built to house up to 64 inmates, and last week had 32 inmates. He explained that it fluctuates daily. Sheriff Pope said that experts recommend one staff member to every four or five inmates, but that the Jasper County Jail operates with a one to eight ratio at full capacity.

Jail—Captain Walker is retired from Gwinnett County where he worked as a correctional officer from 1983 until his retirement as deputy warden in September, 2009. He was building security supervisor over 800 inmates and 130 employees, and he also worked as a field operations supervisor over work crews. He served as a disciplinary hearing officer, also.

He is Police Officers Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) jail certified, and Department of Corrections Certified, and also has completed National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. He graduated from Dacula High School in 1978, and served four years in the Army prior to beginning work as a correctional officer. He also served in the National Guard for six years.

He began work at the Jasper County jail in April, 2011.

The remainder of the jail staff currently includes Ann Baxter, Lisa Batchelor, Connie Campbell, Gloria Williams, Bertha Boswell, Adam Bruce, Sharon Fuson, Antonio Jordan, Cameron Pound, Silvia Redmond and Tabitha Shirley.

Patrol—Captain Mooney comes to Jasper County from neighboring Butts County where he served as chief deputy under Sheriff Gene Pope since November 29, 2010.

Long before that, Captain Mooney attended basic mandate school at the Public Safety Training Institute in Clayton County in 1993. He started working in the jail, and at 21 years old he was promoted to road deputy. He was one of the first members of the Traffic Enforcement Unit formed by Sheriff Gene Pope, and he also served as a K-9 handler and was a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team.

He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2002 and was assigned as a night shift supervisor in the patrol division. In April, 2006, he was promoted to lieutenant and served as the patrol commander. He is a certified P.O.S.T. instructor, and is also certified as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Instructor and is trained as a Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Instructor. Captain Mooney holds a degree in criminal justice from Kaplan University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. where he graduated with honors.

In February, 2008, Officer Mooney joined the training staff at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center as staff instructor with the Georgia Police Academy. Since that time he has trained hundreds of law enforcement officers in DUI detection. He has also successfully acquired both Senior and Master Instructor certifications, and is assigned as the Field Sobriety Coordinator for the state.

Since 1993, Captain Mooney has been responsible for more than 1,000 DUI arrests while working with the Butts County Sheriff’s Office. He has also assisted over 550 other impaired driver cases throughout the state.

The remainder of the current patrol staff includes Sgt. David Lynch, Patrick Carey, Johnny Campbell, Amantae Sands, Randy Dean, Billy Bryant, Greg Sands, Russell White, Johnny Kent, Matthew Crowell, Kevin McMichael, Carlos Rhodes, and Phil Smith, along with eight other part-time deputies that work on a limited basis.

Sheriff Donnie Pope has known Captain Mooney, and dealt with him in personal and professional capacities for some time. When Sheriff Gene Pope was not re-elected in Butts County, and Donnie Pope was elected in Jasper County, he thought of Officer Mooney as the perfect person to put in charge of patrol.

Investigations—Captain Steele has 14 years law enforcement experience, with the last eight being in investigations with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. He has more than 2,000 hours of law enforcement training through local, state and federal sources. He holds senior deputy certification from the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. He is trained in all types of criminal investigations including crimes against persons, property crimes, narcotics, financial and forensics.

He has worked as a detention officer, patrol deputy, and investigator while serving in law enforcement.

He has completed criminal investigative analysis through the University of California which offered the training at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Captain Steele also has been trained in clandestine labs through the Drug Enforcement Administration. Captain Steele is a graduate of Jasper County High School.

Earl Favors is currently the only other investigator.