Sheriff-elect “Gino Rock” Brantley releases his 10 priorities

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

Augusta Sheriff-elect Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley recently released a detailed list of his top 10 priorities for his first 100 days in office.

Brantley won a runoff Tuesday to become the next law clerk for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. He will succeed Sheriff Richard Roundtree, in office for 11 years, in 2025.

Here are what Brantley said are his immediate priorities, according to information provided by his campaign.

Organize comprehensive audit, stakeholder and employee meetings

Full audit: Conduct a thorough assessment of current resources, personnel, facilities and policies to identify immediate needs and gaps.
Stakeholder meetings: Collaborate with community leaders, local government officials, law enforcement partners, and other key stakeholders to understand their concerns and expectations.
Employee meetings: Meet all employees, review their expertise and make sure they work in an area that is important to them. Discuss annual goals and plans to improve morale. Require all staff to submit resumes, POST training records, current positions, desired positions and career aspirations.

Immediate action against armed violence, youth engagement

Intervention force: Create a task force dedicated to combating gun violence, with a particular focus on youth-related incidents.
Establish partnerships and obtain grants: Collaborate with various social groups, federal organizations, and local businesses to bring about positive change. Use grants and planned events to facilitate partnerships.
Youth engagement: Partner with Devon Harris and Full Circle Refuge, Inc. to develop youth mentoring programs. Create the Sheriff's Athletic League, organize community events aimed at preventing youth involvement in violence and gangs, and foster partnerships with local sports organizations and Augusta professionals.

Respond effectively to alarm calls

Allocation of resources : Develop a strategy to respond effectively to alarm calls without compromising other critical functions. Deputy response to alarms is part of any community-oriented policing model because it returns deputies to neighborhoods and helps address concerns before problems arise.
Community insurance: Work with community members and local businesses to ensure alarm systems are functional and effective. For homes or businesses that have received false alarms repeatedly, try to troubleshoot the problem.

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Establish a transition team

Diversified expertise: Form a transition team comprised of individuals with expertise in law enforcement, community relations, administrative functions, and legal affairs.
Data gathering: Task the team with collecting data, reviewing current policies, and formulating immediate and long-term action plans.
Be accessible and transparent: Hold public meetings, online forums, publish public reports, have data online and through a new app for easy access. Create various advisory committees and partnerships as well as an open door policy and a visible sheriff in the community.

Prison improvements, staff support

Facility Improvements: Address critical issues within the prison, such as non-working cell doors, toilets and showers, to improve conditions for inmates and staff.
Staff support: Improve training and support for prison staff to ensure a safe and effective working environment. Explore alternatives to meet immediate staffing needs to ensure the safety of staff and inmates.

Implementing Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Road Safety (DDACTS)

Identification of access points: Use DDACTS to identify crime and traffic incident hotspots.
Allocation of resources : Strategically allocate resources to hotspot areas to maximize impact on crime reduction and road safety.

Restore traffic division

Road safety: Focus on reducing vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities, as well as pedestrian injuries and fatalities, through restored traffic division.
Collaborations: Work with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety for additional resources and apply for federal and state highway safety grants.

Strengthen community policing efforts

Building Confidence: Enhance community policing initiatives to foster trust and collaboration with residents and ensure police legitimacy.
Problem Solvers: From leadership, instill a problem-solving mentality in staff engaged with residents.
Community Engagement: Attend events, neighborhood association meetings, downtown development authority meetings and other relevant meetings in Richmond County.

Launch a targeted recruitment campaign

Fill vacant positions: Launch a campaign to fill more than 100 vacancies at the sheriff's office with qualified personnel.
Various channels: Use career fairs, social media, partnerships with training academies and other recruiting channels to attract diverse candidates.

More: Mothers fed up with gun violence in Augusta speak out and chastise city leaders

Improving overall safety in Augusta

Overall security plan: Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to make all of Augusta safer by combatting various types of crime, improving emergency response times, and increasing visible police presence.
Work closely with 911: Work with 911 to ensure the fastest response time to active calls and that all calls for service are properly handled.
Community involvement: Collaborate with local organizations, businesses and residents to create a safer environment through joint initiatives and proactive crime prevention strategies.

Organize comprehensive audit, stakeholder and employee meetings

Immediate action against armed violence, youth engagement

Respond effectively to alarm calls

Establish a transition team

Prison improvements, staff support

Implementing Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Road Safety (DDACTS)

Restore traffic division

Strengthen community policing efforts

Launch a targeted recruitment campaign

Improving overall safety in Augusta

Lina Portman

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