Georgia County Government - Fall 2016 - 91

MEMBER SERVICES "When you've got the head of the agency caring about what happens to his people, it makes a world of difference to those that are under him," she said. Community Outreach Not only does Hancock ensure his deputies are well-prepared for any situation, but he also does what he can to keep his citizens safe and alert. Beck with LGRMS sees a great benefit to making this a priority. "I think it's all about serving the community, educating the community and linking with the community so they see a face and they know the officers," he said. On both the Crisp County Sheriff Office's Facebook page as well as Hancock's own page, videos are created and posted that cover relevant topics for citizens. "I realize that people don't read a lot on Facebook," Hancock said. "So we started doing videos." He and his deputies have made an array of videos that each get a thousand or more views on Facebook. When there was a lot of rainfall in the past and citizens were concerned about the water level of the lake, the sheriff traveled to the lake and filmed a video from the location, showing viewers exactly what the lake looked like. "They not only heard, but they saw what was going on," he said. Crisp County Sheriff's Office has posted videos covering inclement weather events in the area, power outages and traffic problems. Once, Hancock even partnered with the Department of Natural Resources to film a video with tips to avoid striking deer on the roadway. The DNR brought in their animatronic deer to co-star in the video, which helped the views skyrocket. For the Fourth of July, Hancock posted a video with himself and the fire chief discussing new fireworks laws in Georgia and how to prevent an incident or injury during the holiday weekend. Beyond creating these videos, he also pushes community outreach in the local schools. The sheriff's office has provided banners that urge people not to text and drive, and officers have been stationed at schools to hand out pamphlets about fastening seatbelts. vote in the special election before, and he is hoping to see some of that support again. He still has items he wants to address and improve upon, if given the opportunity. "I want to improve the transparency," Hancock said. "I still want people to realize we're their sheriff's office. I think the harder we work to be transparent to the people, then the better we're going to serve our citizens." As far as reducing risk for his officers, he plans to continue with the same mindset he has worked with the last two years. "If we make our people aware of how expensive injuries are, how expensive it is," he said, "when they see those hazards that exist, they'll bring them to our attention." Hancock says it's about making your employees a part of the solution. "You let them buy into and be a part of the team instead of making them feel second with their ideas." To learn more about the many risk reduction training opportunities, visit lgrms.com. ■ Sierra Hubbard is a freelance writer from Paulding County. She previously served as the ACCG communications intern. She can be reached at sierrabhubbard@gmail.com. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS J. Harry Lange, Chairman, Commissioner, District 4 Martha Chewning, Commissioner, District 1 Jim Woods, Commissioner, District 2 Becky Langston, Commissioner, District 3 Joey Loudermilk, Commissioner District 5 HARRIS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Looking Ahead There's an election in November this year, and Hancock has placed his bid to run for sheriff again. He won with 87 percent of the popular 816704_Harris.indd 1 104 North College Street * Post Office Box 365 Hamilton, Georgia 31811-0365 phone: 706-628-4958 * fax: 706-628-4223 website: harriscountyga.gov FALL 2016 www.accg.org 6/9/16 91 4:15 PM http://www.lgrms.com http://www.harriscountyga.gov http://www.harriscountyga.gov http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - Fall 2016