Laurens sheriff loaning cars to DA’s office to visit crime scenes, reduce case backlog

Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean plans to loan several used cars to new Dublin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Harold McLendon so that the DA’s office can start sending investigators to crime scenes – and help cut into the circuit’s huge backlog of cases.

The DA’s office needs the cars to send investigators to find and re-interview witnesses in thousands of cases, some as old as seven years, Dean and McLendon told the Laurens County Board of Commissioners last week. The board voted later in its meeting to approve the sheriff’s request.

“When you’re working four-, five- and six-year-old cases, there are witnesses to be found,” Dean said. “The deputies all have already submitted those cases. There are people out there that they need to go do new interviews with. They need to have a car to respond to it.”

McLendon said there are approximately 7,000 cases backed up the Dublin Circuit. Each time a case is continued, he said, it costs the circuit $1,200 in man-hours, court costs and other expenses.

“I’m not saying we need more help. We’ve got the help. We’ve got the people that we need. … We have recruited a world-class group of investigators,” the DA said. “The previous administration didn’t see the need for it, but I have recruited folks who are committed to getting out there.”

Dean said he has been frustrated by the backlog of cases for essentially his entire eight-year tenure as sheriff but has been encouraged by McLendon’s first month as district attorney.

“If we’d had somebody pushing hard, we might not have had to pay $200,000 or $300,000 on these special cases for people who have been in our jail all this time,” the sheriff said. “The previous administration didn’t work at night. They wouldn’t even come out to a murder scene.”

Two of the counties in the court circuit – Johnson and Twiggs – already have committed to providing cars – one used and one new – to the DA’s office. Dean said his office will loan two Dodge Chargers, both with more than 130,000 miles, “and a confiscated car that I don’t think is gonna suit the needs of the department.”

Commission Chairwoman Brenda Chain expressed concern about whether the loaner cars would be assigned to certain people and driven home at night – “or are these cars going to be parked for them to go get and do their job.”

“I don’t think we need to use county vehicles and gas to drive back and forth to their jobs and drop their children off at school,” Chain said.

McLendon responded that his office could “certainly make arrangements for those things,” but added, “I don’t know of anybody in law enforcement, county or city, in any state in the United States of America, where officers don’t take the cars home.”

“Now the previous administration did not work at night, but I expect every time a murder or a serious case happens, I will be notified. We need to be notified because we need to be there, and I’d hate to have to go by the office and get (the car),” McLendon said. “If your concern is the gas, we can work something out  … but we do need the ability to get out there. If law enforcement asks from the DA’s office, I want them to know we’re right there with them. It establishes relationships and builds better cases that are winnable.” 

This was not the first time Dean has come before the county commissioners about loaning cars to other elected officials. Last year, he loaned Coroner Richard Stanley an SUV and touched off a political firestorm when several commissioners found out and objected, then voted to deny Stanley’s request for a new vehicle. The board later reversed course on the purchase.

“I want to be on the same sheet of music with the commissioners about loaning the DA’s office investigators some cars,” the sheriff said.

He asked the commission to give McLendon “the ammunition he needs to work with” to reduce the caseload. Currently, the sheriff’s office devoting manhours to serving – and re-serving – subpoenas in old cases.

“I can’t keep going out and serving subpoenas. These people who are going to be using these cars are going to be serving subpoenas. They’re going to have to re-interview witnesses,”  Dean said. “The majority of their cases are four to seven years old, and you’ve got to hunt down witnesses and things like that. The money’s gonna be spent by my department chasing them down, or it’s gonna be spent by his department chasing them down.”

Before the vote, newly elected Commissioner Gerad Mathis noted that “crime was a big thing” on the minds of voters during last year’s campaign.

“I don’t think we need to stick them with a bunch of stipulations,” Mathis said.

The cars will loaned to the DA’s office until the new fiscal year begins and McLendon puts together his first budget. Commissioner Trae Kemp included in the motion that the county would credit the sheriff’s office for any depreciation on the loaned cars when they are traded in on new sheriff’s vehicles this summer.

Also last week, the commissioners approved PTSD insurance coverage for all county public safety employees.

County Administrator Bryan Rogers said a law passed last year by the state Legislature requires all counties to purchase insurance coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder for their public safety employees, such as law enforcement, Emergency Medical Service workers, firefighters and 911 staff

“It is the law, so you have to provide the coverage,” Rogers said.

The two nonprofits that support the state’s counties and cities – the ACCG (Association County Commissioners of Georgia) and the GMA (Georgia Municipal Association) – “pooled together” for a plan that meets the state’s requirements, Rogers said. The county will join the plan for an annual premium  of $30,000.

In other business, the commission approved a request from the sheriff’s office to declare two vehicles as surplus property.