Covington Police Department

COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2011

Stacey L. Cotton Chief of Police

Prepared by Det. Daniel Seals

To the Citizens of Covington, It is with great pleasure that we present to you the Covington Police Department annual report for the year 2011. This report is a summary of our activities and efforts that have occurred throughout the last year. We, at the Covington Police Department, believe that we should provide this information in order for you to know what your police department is doing. Of course, we can’t put everything that the department does in this report because it would take volumes. It is, however, important to summarize the activities that we feel will mean the most to you.

It is our desire to provide you with effective, efficient, and professional law enforcement services. In doing so, the Covington Police Department strives to promote excellence in everything that we do. We are very proud of our department and the men and women who serve. This report will allow you to see our mission statement, value statement, officers’ awards, crime summaries, personnel allocations, and accident/traffic information.

For current information on our department, please visit our website at www.covingtonpolice.com.

If you have any questions about any of the information contained in this report, please contact Detective Daniel Seals at 770-385-2144.

Sincerely,

Stacey L. Cotton Chief of Police

2 The Philosophy of the Covington Police Department

The philosophy of this department is to be on the cutting edge of providing effective, efficient and professional law enforcement services every day to the citizens we serve. We are committed to being aggressive towards new techniques and ideas applicable to the delivery of law enforcement services and resolved to take a leadership role in perpetuating those innovative approaches that foster the ideals of this department.

Effective Effectively providing police services and protection, equally, without hesitation to all citizens who are in the community, even to the point of sacrifice of life or limb in order to maintain the safety, security and welfare of all citizens.

Efficient The efficient use of allocated resources is of major importance to the department. It involves the efficient deployment of manpower, the maintenance and care of equipment and the wise use of time in preventative crime measures, so that the community is assured that their investment in the department resources is used in the most efficient manner.

Professional Professionalism is gained by having a strong commitment toward the personal development of the men and women who make up the department. This commitment is to provide the best available training, equipment and up-to-date knowledge through advanced educational incentive programs, and required physical fitness conditioning, so that an employee’s relationship with the police department is not just a mere job, but a career of honor with personal growth and achievement.

Officers and Staff Covington Police Department VALUES STATEMENT Leadership We value an environment that fosters the development of leaders at all levels to identify and resolve issues that face our department and community. Professionalism We will be knowledgeable through education, training, and technology to better serve our citizens and employees. We will present a personal appearance and demeanor that models a positive image for the Covington Police Department. Ethics We are committed to the highest principals of integrity and fairness to maintain respect and public trust for the citizens we proudly serve. Honor We will promote the pride we have in the profession of law enforcement by acting responsibly, being accountable for our actions, fulfilling our obligations, and holding others accountable for their actions.

4 CALLS FOR SERVICE

2011 was another busy year for the police department as calls for service topped 28,000 for the first year in the past 6 years. Calls for service increased by 13.84% over 2010. However, since 2008, the calls for service have increased 26.15%. TRAINING HOURS APPROVED BY GEORGIA POST COUNCIL 2004 - 2011

Law enforcement is a very dynamic profession and is constantly changing due to new laws and numerous judicial interpretations by courts in Georgia and around the country. As police officers, we must always be vigilant by staying abreast of these changes and interpretations. The rights and privileges of every citizen must be protected under the United States Constitution. We recognize those rights and privileges and take protecting them very seriously.

Therefore, officers must always be training to ensure that they do things the right way. 2011 was another successful year for our police officers as they received 6,369 hours of training.

Georgia Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Council requires that every law enforcement officer receive a minimum of 20 hours of training per year to maintain their arrest powers. Collectively, we far surpassed the state’s minimum requirement. This is indicative of the fact that we place a great deal of importance on training. This also shows that our officers are more professional than ever before and continue to improve their skills, knowledge and abilities to meet the demands they face on a daily basis. In-house training conducted by the department includes

6 firearms, use of force, radar, laser, less lethal, policies and procedures, and legal updates.

CAREER TRAINING HOURS (Through 2011)

Officer Eric Almond 1628 Sgt. Danny Bartello 2271 Officer Justin Blankenship 979 Sgt. Arvo Bowen 2669 Lt. Philip Bradford 1796 *Officer Audrey Brinson 730 Officer Jeff Bruno 2494 Lt. Mike Bruno 1932 Sgt. Chris Cain 2270 Officer Brian Capps 908 Officer April Combs 474 Officer Stacy Cosby 1203 Chief Stacey Cotton 2398 *Investigator Kevin Cribb 1074 Lt. Paul Dailey 1794 **Captain Willie Davis 2052 Officer Hayward DeRouen 672 Officer Asher Dozier 1578 Officer Julie English 1470 Evidence Tech Herrion Ervin 318 *Officer Brandon Farmer 659 Detective Steve Fowler 1482 Officer Brent Fuesting 1348 Officer Kevin Fuller 946 Officer Starr Gibbs 0 Sgt. Chuck Groover 3468 Lt. Mark Jones 2304 Officer Clint Kitchens 935 Officer Paul Madsen 1184 Captain Ken Malcom 2117 Sgt. Allen Martin 1929 Lt. Al Miller 2039 Evidence Tech Joe Mobley 435 *Officer Stanley Moore 1238 Officer Annette Munoz 1336 Officer Demetri Myers 559 Officer Gene Nuqui 1765 Officer Joe Parkin 1689 Sgt. Vic Partee 2488 Officer Ryan Ralston 1930 Officer Jerry Roberts 1467 Officer Grant Satterfield 782 Officer John Seabolt 2359 Detective D. J. Seals 1866 Investigator Allan Seebaran 1216 Officer Chip Shirah 1353 Officer David Stewart 884 Sgt. Mike Tinsley 2050 Captain Craig Treadwell 3022 Asst. Chief Almond Turner 1929 Officer Chris Usiak 1404 Lt. Wendell Wagstaff 2125 Officer Anthony Walden 1921 Officer Brandon Wilkerson 766 Officer Pat Womack 1764 Officer Robert Yarbrough 139

TOTAL 85,608 Hours

Total training hours equal 9.77 years! This total averages out to 1529 hours per officer. An officer works, on average, 2080 hours per year. Based on that calculation, the total training hours would equate to 41.16 years in work years!

* Left the department during the year ** Retired 04/01/11

INTERNAL AFFAIRS SUMMARY

An annual statistical summary of the internal affairs investigations in 2011 for the Covington Police Department was conducted. This is pursuant to accreditation standard 52-1-5.  There was one internal investigation conducted in 2011.

 On April 6, 2011, deputies with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence of a Covington Police officer in reference to an altercation between the CPD officer and his girlfriend. The CPD officers’ girlfriend alleged that during an argument, the CPD officer choked her and pushed her down on top of a chair on their back deck. On April 7, 2011, Capt. Craig Treadwell and Lt. AL Miller were made aware of the incident and started an internal investigation into the matter. The internal investigation, including interviews of both parties involved and witness 8 statements, determined that the CPD officer and his girlfriend were indeed involved in a physical altercation in which both parties received visible, physical injuries. It was determined that the CPD officer’s actions constituted conduct unbecoming of an officer. The CPD officer was placed on administrative leave during the course of this investigation. The CPD officer was eventually arrested and charged with battery under the family violence act by the Newton County Sheriff’s officer. The CPD officer resigned from the Covington Police Department. The criminal charges against the CPD officer were eventually dismissed.

GRIEVANCES

There were no grievances filed in the year 2011.

2011 AWARDS BANQUET

The 2011 Christmas and Awards Banquet was held on December 12 , 2011 in the Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church of Covington. The banquet was catered by Bradley’s Bar-B-Que Restaurant.

The following awards were presented to employees:

Rookie of the Year Officer Hayward DeRouen Officer April Combs Employee of the Year - CID Officer of the Year Lt. Paul Dailey Officer Kevin Fuller Employee of the Year – Support Employee of the Year - Patrol Services/Community Outreach Cheryl Vaughn Sgt. Ryan Ralston – 3.0 Once

Firearms Awards Departmental Commendations Lt. Mike Tinsley Top Gun Lt. Wendell Wagstaff Sgt. Allen Martin Officer Justin Blankenship Highest Average Physical Fitness Awards Sgt. Danny Bartello Officer Jeff Bruno – 3.0 Twice Officer Paul Madsen – 3.0 Twice 100% Club Officer Gene Nuqui – 3.0 Twice Officer Allan Seebaran Officer Kevin Cribb – 3.0 Once Officer Julie English Sgt. Allen Martin – 3.0 Once

10 Part One Crimes

Traffic TOP ACCIDENT CAUSATIONS FOR 2011

Following Too Close 196 Improper Backing 139 Failure to Yield 186 Improper Lane Change 45 Lost Control 32 Animal or Object 24 Too Fast For Conditions 24 DUI Related 23 Traffic Control Device 17 Traffic (con’t)

12 TOP MOVING/NON-MOVING VIOLATIONS FOR 2011

Violation Type Citations Issued Speeding* 742 Following Too Close 112 Failure To Yield 135 DUI 113 Stop Sign 78 Seatbelt Violation 210 Suspended License 74 No Proof of Insurance 66 Red Light 64 No License 54 *Includes Construction Zone violations COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT 2011 Statistics on College Degrees

 62 total employees (52 sworn, 10 civilian)  59 degrees earned among 34 employees  55% of all employees have at least one degree  58% of all sworn officers have at least one degree  20 employees have two or more degrees (32%)  5 employees have three degrees (8%)  1 employee has four degrees  2 employees have two Masters degrees  12 Associate degrees  29 Bachelor degrees  18 Masters degrees  22 employees have earned a total of 36 degrees while working for CPD