By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Sheriff restructures command staff
Placeholder Image

Dawson County Sheriff Billy Carlisle recently promoted two officers to new leadership roles within the department.

The promotions of Maj. Ray Goodie and Capt. Greg Rowan took effect Jan. 18.

A Dawson County High School graduate, Goodie joined the sheriff's office in 2004 after spending six years in the U.S. Army. He climbed the ranks from jailer to patrol officer to investigator and now oversees the department's criminal investigations unit, which until recently was a combined division with patrol.

"This did two things. It got CID more focused in on CID and got Ray over there investigating the crimes, the cases, coming in. And it gives Tony [Wooten], our major over patrol, more opportunity to focus on the patrol division," Carlisle said.

Rowan, a 22-year veteran with the department, replaces Goodie as assistant commander of the patrol division.

Carlisle said the career advancements are intended to streamline operations and increase the number of officers on the roads.

"When John Cagle, who was the chief deputy, retired in December, instead of filling that position, I basically took on those responsibilities and used that money in our budget to put another officer on the street," he said. "I created a new lieutenant position on the nightshift in the patrol division, whose job will be out on the street and not in the office."

He is currently interviewing to fill that position.

According to Carlisle, the need for additional officers on the streets became evident in recent months, after a review of recent shoplifting cases along the Ga. 400 corridor.

"Crimes such as shoplifting have increased in recent years, requiring patrol officers to respond and take reports, which takes them away from their primary duties," he said.

Additionally, calls for officers to respond to Amicalola Falls State Park have grown by nearly 75 percent in the last year.

"In 2013, our deputies responded to 208 calls at the state park, up from 56 in 2012," Carlisle said. "And of that 208, 128 came in after July 1, after they took their DNR's law enforcement rangers out of the falls. They said then that it wasn't going to fall back on us, but I knew that it would."

Carlisle said the restructuring is a continuance of his goal to provide top-notch law enforcement services to residents and visitors to the county.

"With all that's been going on, we needed to do something to have more patrol officers on our roads," he said.