Dalton Police Blog

Ride Along With a Dalton Police Officer

Recently, during the announcement of Operation A.B.L.E., Police Chief James D. Chadwick reminded community members that the department offers the opportunity to participate in the ride-along program. Although the ride-along policy has been in place for twenty (20) years, Chief Chadwick emphasized, along with operation A.B.L.E., that the best way to get an up-close view of a police officer's daily duties is to join them in the patrol car. Most who have participated in the program over the years come away with a broader perspective of law enforcement in general, and the Dalton Police Department in particular.

If you are interested, or have questions about the program, contact Angela Kittle by email, or at 706-278-9085, extension 120. You may also download the Ride-Along Application and fax it to 706-217-2075. Be sure to include a contact phone number.

Officer Michael Hughes, a patrolman with the Dalton Police Department, prior to beginning his tour of duty

Officer Shaun Scott of the department's Special Operations/Traffic Unit using the in-car computer

New Dalton Officers Graduate from Police Academy

Three new Dalton Police Officers received their badges today prior to graduation of Basic Law Enforcement Training Class #062 of the Northwest Georgia Police Academy.

The entire class of 15 cadets began their academy training on April 11, 2007. Instruction during the academy includes classes on Georgia law and criminal procedures; search and seizure; patrol techniques; CPR/first aid; accident investigation; emergency driving techniques, and others.

New Dalton officer John D. Jones received the Academic Excellence Award.

During the badge pinning ceremony at the Police Services Center, Dalton Police Chief James D. Chadwick reminded the new officers that, "These badges are shiny now, and it's up to each of you to make sure the badge is never tarnished by your actions."

Graduates from the Dalton Police Department include:

• Ryan Amos
• John Jones
• Federico Nietzsche

Theses officers will now enter the field training phase, monitored by an experienced training officer. If the officers complete the additional twelve (12) weeks of field training, they will be ready for solo patrol.

Officers Arrest Prowler

On June 21 at about 2:20 A.M., two Dalton police officers on foot patrol around 711 South Hamilton Street spotted a male walking between rows of parked cars. When officers challenged the man and identified themselves, the man, Barry Jason Cox, fled.

After a lengthy foot pursuit, Cox, 47, was arrested by the officers with the assistance of a third officer. Cox claimed to be in the area looking for someone. Cox, of 3593 S. Dixie Highway, Dalton, was placed into custody and transported to Jail. Mr. Cox already had an outstanding arrest warrant.

The two original officers had been on foot patrol in the area attempting to prevent vehicle break-ins.

Operation A.B.L.E. Launched

The Dalton Police Department announces the launch of Operation A.B.L.E. ABLE is an acronym for - Aiding the community in identifying various crime indicators, Building partnerships with the community, Locking up offenders, and Enforcing laws consistently and constitutionally. ABLE is the result of the Dalton Police Department's strategic plan (Crime Reduction section attached-click here) and due to increased funding, provided two weeks ago. The department will be deploying up to twenty seven (27) officers at certain times. Among the objectives the officers will be pursuing are the following: * Increasing the presence of police officers during targeted times and locations * Increase arrests for all violations associated with disorderly and dangerous offenses * Increase criminal intelligence gathering * Increase major drug operations * Improve the prosecution of offenders especially "gang members" * Reduce the incidents of vandalism * Educate citizens about the Mission and functions of the Dalton Police Department Within each of the objectives, officers have certain goals they will be striving to obtain. Officers will also be provided an operation plan for each day focused on crime problems in specific areas of the city.

The department will be Aiding the community in identifying various crime indicators. Education of citizens is imperative to the reduction of crime. To this end, the Dalton Police Department will be holding a second gang forum on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 beginning at 6 PM at Dalton City Hall. Other forums are scheduled for the remainder of the year. Times and dates can be viewed by logging on to www.daltonpdblog.org

Additionally, the Dalton Police Department invites citizens in the community to ride with an officer. To find out more about the "Ride along Program", please call Angela at 706-278-9085 Ext. 120.

Officers will also be attempting to Build and enhance our partnerships with the community. Increased foot patrols, use of bicycles, as well as drop in visits to businesses and residences are scheduled. Sir Robert Peel said it best - "Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence."

No tolerance will be given to those who violate the law and they can expect to be Locked up for those offenses that are committed and require incarceration. The mission of the Dalton Police Department is to provide the community of Dalton a safe environment with professional quality police service through positive interaction with its citizens. The mission is taken very seriously.

All laws will be Enforced consistently and constitutionally. While some would argue that some laws are more serious than others the bottom line is that if you are a victim you believe the crime committed against you is very serious. Therefore, while the emphasis for ABLE will be violent street crime the department will not be ignoring other crime in the community. Steps will also be in place to make sure no one is deprived of their due process in the criminal justice system.

"The citizens of Dalton and the Dalton Police Department have a tremendous opportunity to create a safer community for our families and children through coactive partnership," says Dalton Police Chief James D. Chadwick.

For further information, contact Assistant Chief Jason Parker at 706-278-9085 ext. 201 or jparker@cityofdalton-ga.gov. Download winmail.dat

Local Law Enforcement's Role in the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act Effective July 1, 2007

We have received several inquiries regarding new immigration-related laws that become effective on July 1, 2007. Georgia Senate Bill 529 was signed by the governor in April, and parts of it become effective July 1.

We feel it is important to emphasize that this law does not yet apply directly to local police departments. The information below provides some explanation.

State Law

Under the law (35-2-24) the Georgia Commissioner of Public safety is the only law enforcement Representative authorized  to enter into a MOU with ICE.  It is our understanding that this is  in  process and all questions concerning the status of this should be directed to the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS).  It is not clear if the funding has been allocated yet for this section of the law.  If the Dalton Police Department is asked by DPS to assist, we will.

In another section of the law, GA code 42-4-14 requires the "keeper of the jail" to "determine the nationality of a person charged with a felony and/or driving under the influence". The Dalton Police Department has never operated a jail, and arrestees are turned over to the county jail.

The other parts of SB529 will involve local law enforcement only if they are asked by the state agency affected.

A PDF version of the full Georgia Law can be found at:

http://daltonpdblog.typepad.com/dalton_police_blog/GASECIMMIGCOMACT.pdf.

Federal Law

The information below, from the ICE homepage,  outlines the purpose of the federal law including 287(g) :

• necessary resources and latitude to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, sexual-related offenses, narcotics smuggling and money laundering; and
• increased resources and support in more remote geographical locations.

Because the Dalton Police Department has a relationship with ICE and our history of the Joint Immigration Task Force and the training we received last year we believe we have more than ample training concerning immigration issues.  In fact we more than likely have more training than any other law enforcement agency in the state of Georgia.

Articles Published about Dalton Police and Immigration Issues:

Readers may want to check this out --James D. Chadwick and Bart G. Szafnicki, “The Power of Partnership; INS and Local Law Enforcement Join Forces to Stop Criminal Illegal Aliens,” Police Chief, Aug. 1999, pp. 46-51; James D. Chadwick, Bart G. Szafnicki, and William F. Riley, “Partnership Between INS and Local Law Enforcement,” Eighteen Eleven, Sept. 1999, Vol. 121, No. 5, pp. 1, 25.

Public Forum on Gangs

The Dalton Police Department will host a second public forum on Gangs.  The time and location for this forum is set for June 26, 2007 at Dalton's City Hall located at 300 Waugh Street in Dalton from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

The first Gang forum was held earlier this year and had approximately 50 persons in attendance.  Due to the recent events in our community, there seems to be a renewed concern over street gangs in Dalton and this forum is being repeated for those interested.

The session will be geared toward educating the public, particularly parents, on:

• How to recognize if their child is participating in a gang
• Steps they can take to minimize their child from becoming a gang member
• How to recognize gang activity in their neighborhood
• Proactive steps citizens can take to reduce and eliminate gang activity in our community

The format will be the same as the first forum with members of the Police Department giving a brief presentation followed by a question & answer session.

The police department is very interested in educating the public on how to recognize gang activity.  This presentation is geared toward parents recognizing gang behavior in their children and increasing a citizen's ability to recognize gang activity in their community.  Once recognized, steps can then be taken to eliminate this behavior.

Law Enforcement United through Task Force

The Conasauga Safe Streets Task force recently hosted a press conference to discuss the emerging gang presence in the surrounding area.

Many think of the Task Force as being manned by the FBI.  In reality, the Task Force is made up of 6 local officers from the Dalton Police Department, the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office, and the Calhoun Police Department.  A representative from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also available to assist if needed.  Oversight of the officers is through their perspective agencies with a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation acting as liaison between the local officers and the federal agents.  The primary investigations are conducted by the local officers with the Federal officers providing assistance to the investigation. 

The Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force is 1 of 5 in Georgia and 1 of 130 throughout the United States.  It was founded in the Spring of 2005 to address the emerging gang presence in the Whitfield and Gordon County area.  The Task Force's mission is to identify and target for prosecution organized crime groups responsible for drug trafficking, money laundering, alien smuggling, crimes of violence, robbery, Aggravated Assault, and violent street gangs.

Since 2005, the Task Force has been responsible for approximately 198 arrests.  Of these arrests, five have/or being prosecuted at the Federal level.  There have been also been 10 deportations, with three individuals having a leadership role in one of the prominent gangs in Dalton.  The charges range from graffiti, aggravated assault, violation of the Georgia Gang Act, drugs, and weapons charges.

A Source For Information on Street Gangs

In order to provide citizens with information to recognize street gang activity, the website below offers some general information. Although this information is general, it is relevant. The gangs in Dalton seem not to have a continuing criminal enterprise with which to fund their activities, and seem to operate in small cliques without a central leader.

Click this link to see the FBI's Violent Gang website.

Click here to see a gangs toolkit for law enforcement, parents and educators.

Tutorial For Dalton Police Blog

This web site offers several options. The most recent stories posted are at the top of the page. Viewers may scroll down to look at the current month's listing, and look in the Archives section in the right column to look at older stories. Clicking on photos enlarges the image.

This blog began in September 2006 as a way for the department to notify the community about a variety of information. If you want to comment about a story, click the "comment" button directly underneath. Before your comment is submitted, the screen will prompt you to enter the code that appears. This is a security feature that prevents robot computers from damaging the site. Your comments are then reviewed for any offensive, (to the public), libelous, or dangerous information. Then it is posted and viewable by others. Your comments are never edited, but if a comment is unfit to post, it is deleted. A department member receives notification that comments are posted so as to keep information fresh. We are interested in hearing from you, even if you ask tough questions!

Other nationwide police blogs include LAPD and Boston PD.

The left column contains links to an employee only site, and to other documents or police department resources. We invite your to review our Strategic Plan.

Please visit daily for more information.

Questions from Citizens about Specific Attacks on Women

We have received questions about whether there have been violent attacks on women at stores, malls, or shopping centers recently. There have been no such attacks since the homicide on May 28, which seems to be the catalyst for great concern from citizens, and the source of these rumors. We did report a robbery and abduction of a woman from a local shopping center on May 14. This type of crime is extremely rare for Dalton, and appeared to be random. A repeat of those two posts is listed below:

Published on May 15, 2007:

Dalton Police Department Investigators have identified, arrested, and charged Edward Matthew Rife for the kidnapping and robbery of a Dalton woman that occurred around noon on May 14th in Dalton.

Police located the suspect around 6:00 p.m. on May 14th, the day of the incident, at a undisclosed location in the City.  The suspect was arrested and transported to Whitfield County Sheriff's Office's detention facility.

Booking photo of the suspect, Edward Matthew Rife 

Published on May 14, 2007

The Dalton Police Department is searching for the suspect wanted in connection with the Kidnapping and Armed Robbery of a Dalton woman.  The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. Monday May 14th.  The suspect is described as a:

• White/Male, approximately 35-45 years of age
• 5'5" - 6'0" tall, with salt & pepper hair and weathered face
• Wearing a ball cap with "Tide" on the side and the number "10" and "Ricky Rudd" also displayed on the cap
• Wearing black jeans with a hole in the right inside leg and a Red/Grey football style shirt
• A faded tattoo on his left arm

The suspect approached the victim in the parking lot of Bryman's Plaza South around Office Depot and Bryman's Plaza Cleaners located at 101 W. Walnut Avenue in Dalton.  He approached the victim from behind, brandished a knife, demanded her money and threatened to kill her.  He then forced her into her vehicle and drove away.  He drove to the victim's bank and forced the victim to withdraw money from her account.

The victim was released a short time later at an undisclosed location.  The suspect faces charges including but not limited to Robbery and Kidnapping.  Images of the suspect were caught on bank surveillance cameras and displayed below.

Anyone with information about this crime or the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Detective Chuck Richards at 706-278-9085 extension 214 or if wishing to remain anonymous, can contact the police department's CRIME TIP HOTLINE at 706-278-9085 extension 221.

Suspect seen here driving victim's vehicle.  Anyone that can identify this individual is asked to contact the Dalton Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division (CID) at 706-278-9085