The Peace Officers Association of Georgia collection includes videos and transcripts of oral history interviews with retired and active duty law enforcement officers. Faculty and Students (undergraduate and graduate) from the Georgia Southern History Department conducted the interviews from 2014-18. The goal of the collection is to document the evolution of law enforcement in Georgia and to educate the public.
Related Collections: Peace Officers Association of Georgia Records
-
Interview with Bill Hutson
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Bill has 40 years experience in law enforcement, with 27 years as Cobb County Sheriff and 3 years as Executive Director of POST. He was also President of the POAG 1986-1987. In this interview, he discusses his involvement in the Dixie Mafia case and Billy Sunday Birt, as well as some of his successes in Cobb County.
-
Interview with Charles Sikes (Second Interview)
Michael Van Wagenen and James C. Wright
Interview conducted by Michael Van Wagenen at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Charles served in the GBI from 1971 to 2001, altogether 30 years, entirely in the coastal region. He simultaneously served in the US Army National Guard, and after retirement as a civilian contractor with the Department of Defense for 5 years. In this interview, Charles discusses his experience as the World Conference Center Venue Commander for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
-
Interview with Dennis Bell
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Dennis attended the police academy in 1989 and has served as a Police Chief for several agencies. Today he is a Reserve Captain for Comers Police Department and a Major with the Oglethorpe County Sheriff Office. In this interview, Dennis discusses law enforcement public relations and some of the stresses of being a peace officer.
-
Interview with Doyte Chaffin
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Doyte is a Game Warden Captain with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, where he has been serving for 25 years. He is originally from Virginia. In this interview, Doyte explains what it is like to be a Conservation Ranger in eastern Georgia.
-
Interview with Greg Countryman
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Greg has been in law enforcement since 1990 and has been regularly elected as Muscogee County Marshal since 2004. He is highly involved with children and heads a mentoring program called the Junior Marshals. In this interview, Greg discusses his youth program and the technological direction law enforcement is taking.
-
Interview with Greg Ramey (Second Interview)
Michael Van Wagenen and James C. Wright
Interview conducted by Michael Van Wagenen at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Greg worked with the GBI from 1985 to 2019, altogether 33 years. He retired as the Special Agent in Charge of Region 1 (northwest Georgia). Greg was previously interviewed in 2018, but requested to conduct this second interview to specifically discuss the Tristate Crematory Case. The case began in 2002 and ended with the recovery of 339 bodies, 114 of which were never identified.
-
Interview with Harold Thomas
James C. Wright and Michael Van Wagenen
Interview conducted by James C. Wright with assistance from Michael Van Wagenen at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Harold began his law enforcement career at the Atlanta Police Department in 1957 and transferred to the new Fulton County Police Department at its inception in 1975. He retired in 1995 after 38 years of service. In this interview, Harold discusses the many changes he has seen in law enforcement including racial relations, crime evolution, and police operations.
-
Interview with Joe Chapman
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Joe has been in law enforcement for 33 years, fifteen of them as the Sheriff of Walton County. He also served in the US armed forces and deployed with the US Army to Iraq in 2003. In this interview, Joe mentions his predecessors' involvement in the Dixie Mafia cases and with Billy Sunday Birt, as well as the challenges of being a sheriff.
-
Interview with Mike Ayers
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Mike entered law enforcement in 1989, primarily serving in the GBI. He was also appointed as Executive Director of POST by Governor Kemp in May 2019. In this interview he shares his experiences in drug enforcement and discusses his opinion on POST and law enforcement ethics.
-
Interview with Scott Klingel
James C. Wright
Interview conducted by James C. Wright at the 2019 POAG Convention, Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Scott started his law enforcement career in 1987 at the Columbia County Sheriff Department and became a Georgia Game Warden in 1989. He calls being a Game Warden his "dream job." In this interview, Scott discusses his involvement in the Albany Flood recovery operations, as well as the joy and cautions in becoming a Game Warden.
