The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Unit is two fold: to promote citizen participation in the reduction of crime through educational and active support as well as to provide educational and safety related programs based on community needs. 

The unit works with patrol and investigative personnel to assist with special programs and to address community concerns.  Crime prevention duties include speaking to various groups on crime prevention methods, distributing crime prevention literature, staffing information booths, alerting victims on how to best avoid future victimization, developing crime prevention materials for use by the community, and developing or maintaining liaisons within neighborhood watch programs.

The Crime Prevention Unit personnel are hand selected veteran law enforcement officers who are also certified School Resource Officers in the Barrow County School system.  They believe the best way to build a community is to work together.  Accordingly, we endeavor to preserve old relationships and continuously form new ones within our community.  Whether you’re representing yourself or a group, we encourage you to let us know how we can serve you.

Programs within the Crime Prevention Unit are as follows:

S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D PROGRAM

Sheriff’s HElping Promote Healthy Educated and Responsible Decisions.  Is a program developed by the Crime Prevention Unit to educate students within the Barrow County School system on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

P.L.A.Y. PROGRAM

Participating in Lives of Area Youth is a program developed by the Crime Prevention Unit to work with at risk youth throughout the year in an effort to educate, build character and confidence through team work and personal development.  The program consists of two summer camps, one basketball tournament, one soccer tournament, and hiking trips.

SECURITY SURVEYS

Crime Prevention officers will inspect a residential or commercial property at no cost to the property owner.  Once the inspection is complete the officer will provide a written report that identifies areas where the owner has done a great job with security, and will make recommendations on improvements in design elements such as locks, lighting, or landscaping where needed. Use the following forms/checklists for improviing security:

Business Security Checklist

Home Inventory Form

Home Security Survey

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

The Crime Prevention Unit acts as the speaker’s bureau for the Sheriff's Office by providing a variety of subjects for preventative to citizen groups.  Some of the subjects available include personal safety, workplace violence, burglary prevention, identity theft, holiday safety and gang awareness.

SHERIFF’S EXPLORER POST 747

Law Enforcement Exploring is a program designed to help youth who have an interest in career in law enforcement gain insight through a variety of programs that offer hands-on career activities.  Exploring promotes the growth and development of youth through participation in these activities.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM

Neighborhood Watch is a powerful tool that brings citizens together to make their neighborhood a safer place to live. Residents are more familiar with their neighborhood than anyone and are the most qualified to recognize when something is amiss.  Neighbors work in partnership with the Sheriff’s Office to identify suspicious or unusual people, vehicles, or activity that may indicate a developing problem.

PUBLIC SAFETY DAY

In numerous instances kids have shown that given proper education, they can save lives in an emergency.  One event where kids can have fun, and get free safety awareness, is at our annual Public Safety Day.

GHOSTOUT PROGRAM

Is a program utilized within the high school to prevent drug and alcohol related accidents on the evening of Prom.  The program utilizes volunteer senior students who work for months, in their spare time, to recreate a DUI accident involving students on Prom night.  This program raises awareness of the danger of driving under the influence.

FUNDRAISERS

Programs readily available to the public are cost free.  To ensure these programs continue, the Crime Prevention Unit holds several fundraisers throughout the year.  Among them are the Annual Bass Fishing Tournament, Sheriff’s Poker Run, and the Chili Cookoff.

FUTURE PROGRAMS

The Crime Prevention Unit is always looking toward the future.  Two programs we plan to implement are the Business Watch and the TRIAD Senior Citizen program.  More details will be available once these programs become available.