NCJ Number
84541
Journal
Police Magazine Volume: 5 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 38-43
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Georgia sheriffs have diverse educational backgrounds, philosophies, and concepts of the position, yet the power of the office remains uniformly great.
Abstract
Georgia has 159 counties and thus 159 sheriffs, more than any other State except Texas. This fact increases the already high visibility and notoriety of the office. Sheriffs are paid with county funds according to minimums set by the Georgia General Assembly. The salary range is $13,750 to $38,500 annually. Typical of the younger sheriffs in the State, Wesley Walraven, sheriff of Forsyth County, is a college graduate and a former State trooper. He believes that experience is important, but that an understanding of psychology and commonsense are the most important qualities of the successful sheriff. The tenure of the average Georgia sheriff is 13 years, while appointed officials in the department average only 3 years. As blacks become more involved in the electoral process, Georgia will elect its first black sheriff. Observers agree that this would be beneficial, considering that the population of Georgia is 26 percent black. Despite recent emphasis on the proper training of sheriffs, corruption remains a problem in some counties. Three photographs are provided.