BURKE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE Sheriff Alfonzo Williams 225 Hi. 24 South, Waynesboro, GA 30830 Phone: 706-854-2133 Fan: 70654-3423, July 19, 2021 Merv Waldrop Burke County Administrator Burke County Courthouse 602 N. Liberty St. Waynesboro, Georgia 30830 Merv, Lam writing to you and the Burke County Board of Commissioners with grave concerns over staffing issues and the need for a training facility as we prepare for the 2021-2022 budget year. Additionally, we have concems over the lack of workspace in our administration building. Currently, we work out of three different facilities (courthouse basement, Collins Warehouse, and sheriff's office), which makes continuity of leadership and services more strained, First, we are faced with the possibility of losing four deputy sheriff positions funded by Southern Nuclear Company and a few of its partners. While we have met with those stakeholders to ask for a two-year renewal of the grant, we are uncertain whether it will be awarded prior to the start of our new budget. We have worked diligently to use the grant funding to reduce crashes, serious injuries, and deaths on the roadways, primarily associated with travels to and from the site. Losing these vital resources and law enforcement positions would unduly return us to pre-funding deaths, injuries, and accidents/incidences to our citizens and those who work in and visit Burke County. Secondly, the sheriff's office from which we are operating was designed and constructed nearly 3.5 decades ago. The previous administration exceeded the useful life of the facility. We, too, find it lacking the necessary design and space needed to fit our operational and cultural requirements. Finally, to compound this problem, we have been unexpectedly forced to discontinue use of the multi-purpose room formerly used for firearms, use of force (TASER, defensive tactics, baton, building clearing), and general instruetion trainings. While it seems a “classroom space” such as, the EOC area in the basement of the Judicial Center will suffice, it does not consider floor matting, baton training, building clearing, weapons tactics, etc, that would require proper space, clearance, and construction consistent with this mandated training. Most of our training is not a luxury but mandatory and required by Georgia Standards for Officers to maintain our certification. Firearms training will not only require an outdoor firing range but a classroom space for instruction, cleaning of weapons, remediation training, and presentation of firearms in a safe manner (without pointing, at targets that should not be destroyed), The logistics of moving 100+ participants around safely ona monthly basis to receive this mandatory training must be considered. Over the past year, we have been in constant contact with the administrator's office concerning the need for a new jail pod and administration building. We were told that we have nearly $1.2million dollars from SPLOST to do jail improvements, additions, or both. Also, we were told CARES Act, American Rescue Plan Funds (ARP), or both were forthcoming and could be used to move our projects forward T leaned during a meeting with the county administrator two weeks ago that ARP funds were being diverted, by the commission, to broadband internet throughout the county in conjunction with the Burke County Board of Education, Burke County received $4.3 million in ARP funding to help with COVID-19 relief, lost revenue, and certain infrastructure projects. The board voted to allot $2.1 million dollars for the broadband project. ‘The sheriff's office, which is grossly affected by COVID-19 with regards to being frontline public safety officials has not been privy to any negotiations or considerations for any of the ARP funding, Last week, President Joe Biden announced that state and local officials experiencing surges in gun violence can use COVID-19 relief funding to hire more law enforcement personnel even if it raises the total number beyond its pre-pandemic level. The president suggested the money can be used to invest in programs that try to identify and mediate potentially violent conflicts. The president said the APR funding means more police officers...or community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes. In fact, prior to last week, the president had already given cities permission to use APR funds to retain public employees, including police officers. Across the United States, agencies are considering using funding for police training and equipment, body cameras, first responder bonuses, new law enforcement hiring, and law enforcement officer We are specifically asking the commission to: # Reassess the uses of the ARP funding and allot 20% or $420,000 for the training facility. + Repurpose the funding to allow the four (4) deputy positions to be funded for one (1) year (2021-2022) fiscal year. Research indicates the tax base in Burke County will continue to inerease for the next four years, before it starts to decline due to Plant Vogtle’s completion. It is important that we maintain the current level of services, now and going forward. To this end, we do not anticipate any future growth in personnel prior to reassessment going into the 2024 election year. Respectfully, we ask that we are added to the agenda for the very next commission meeting to formally present this information, Please call us should you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Org Vitam Alfonzo Williams Page 2 of 2