The Peace Officers Association of Georgia Oral Histories collection preserves videos and transcripts of oral history interviews with retired and active duty law enforcement officers. Students and faculty from the History Department at Georgia Southern University conducted the interviews from 2014-18. The goal of the collection is to document the evolution of law enforcement in Georgia.
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Interview with Marian & John Conley
Katherine Conner
Interview conducted by Katherine Conner at the Savannah Marriot Riverfront hotel on August 21, 2016. John started with the Georgia State Patrol in 1964 and retired in 1992. John and Marian have been together for over 47 years. In this interview, John and Marian discuss their involvement in the POAG, including Marian's 31 years of active service to the organization.
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Interview with William "Bill" Cline
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the home of Bill Cline in Waleska, Georgia, on August 21, 2016. Bill started his law enforcement career with the Game and Fish Commission as a Conservation Ranger in the early 1950s. He primarily served in Cherokee County and has conducted multiple details for Jimmy Carter. In this interview, Bill discusses his experiences as a DNR Captain and his relationships with local sheriffs.
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Interview with Butch Rossel
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Savannah Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah. Butch is a Georgia State Trooper, working mainly from Patrol Post 34 in Manchester. He also worked beside Georgia Bureau of Investigations agents as part of a drug task force. In this interview, Butch discusses his experience with the Centennial park bombing and his opinion on community policing.
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Interview with Carl Sheffield
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Savannah Marriot Riverfront hotel on August 24, 2015. Carl loved his job as a state trooper, especially escorting the University of Georgia football team and Head Coach Vince Dooley. After graduating from Central Missouri State University's traffic management school, Carl was made Post Commander in Athens, Georgia. In this interview, Carl discusses his travels and various assignments in the Georgia State Patrol.
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Interview with Cliff Tackett
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah on August 24, 2015. Cliff has 37 years of law enforcement experience, 34 of which working with the state of Georgia. He is also a thrid generation officer, claiming that law enforcement is in his blood. In this interview, Cliff explains what policing was like before the advent of technology.
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Interview with Cullen Talton
Nicolette Pistone
Interview conducted by Nicolette Pistone at the Houston County Sheriff Office on January 29, 2015. Cullen was elected Houston County Sheriff in 1972 and has been regularly elected until the time of the interview in 2014 (over 42 years). Before that he was a county commissioner for over five years. In this interview, Cullen discusses department relations with veterans and other agencies.
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Interview with Donna Robertson
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah on August 24, 2015. Donna began working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations as an intelligence analyst after graduating from Georgia State College in 1972. As of 1983, she was one of only three women in the GBI in the entire state. In this interview, Donna discusses what it was like to be a woman in law enforcement.
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Interview with Dr. Robert R. Friedmann
Nicolette Pistone
Interview conducted by Nicolette Pistone in Atlanta on March 29, 2015. Dr. Freedman earned a triple major degree in Israel and finished his PhD in Criminology from the University of Minnesota in 1978. He has taught criminology for over 40 years in Israel and the U.S., including Chair of the Criminal Justice department at Georgia State for 13 years. In this interview, Dr. Freedman discusses his international experiences with law enforcement.
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Interview with Ellis Wood
Daniel Hancock
This interview was conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Savannah Mariott Riverfront Hotel in Savannah, Georgia. In the interview Ellis Wood discusses the role he has played in highway safety. Wood has served on the Board of Public Safety and the State Board of Corrections. Through both opportunities he has been able to connect with the public and other groups in law enforcement.
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Interview with Gary Hill
Daniel Hancock
Interview conducted by Daniel Hancock at the Marriot Riverfront hotel in Savannah on August 24, 2015. Gary started as a radio operator in 1971 and was promoted to state trooper the following year. He retired in 2005 with 34 years experience in law enforcement. In this interview, Gary discusses some of his most memorable cases, such as his near involvement with Billy Sunday Birt and the Dixie Mafia.
