A group of concerned residents met with Paulding County’s sheriff Monday to discuss racial tension and diversity in local law enforcement.
The two-hour meeting was scheduled after last week's town hall at Oasis Church in Dallas that addressed nationwide racial tension and officer-involved shootings.
Michael Scott, a resident and member of the Board of Elections, asked the panel about the social media post by the sheriff's office regarding a rumored Black Lives Matter protest. The protest never happened, and the social media post – which has since been deleted – was greeted by almost 4,000 comments, many fueled by racism.
Scott scheduled Monday’s meeting, and, originally, the goal was to get an official apology from the sheriff’s office.
“What we got was an official explanation,” Scott said. “I think we got the first step, to reconcile the disparity in the department and to recognize that it could have been more tactful.”
Monday’s meeting was between Scott and a few concerned residents and Sheriff Gary Gulledge, along with spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson.
“We were meeting as a diverse group of Paulding residents … concerned about these issues,” Scott said.
Henson provided a breakdown of the demographics of the sheriff’s office employees. Out of the total 290 employees, only 13 are black.
Census data from 2015 shows that Paulding County has a minority population of about 25.3 percent. That breaks down to about 18.5 percent black, 1 percent Asian and 5.8 percent Hispanic.
The sheriff’s office does not reflect the demographics of the county. More than 94 percent of its employees are white.
“I am going to actively pursue candidates who are African American, Latino and Asian to apply to the department,” Scott said.
The group also found other solutions to common concerns, like finding sensitivity training programs for deputies by looking at other departments across the nation. Scott said that the sheriff’s office agreed that body cameras are beneficial, but the cost of the equipment is a big hurdle for the county.
Overall, Scott saw the meeting as a success, especially in light of recent events in the nation.
“Paulding County has not had any major incidents that have been in the media that I know of,” he said. “Meetings like this, efforts like this, will stop them from happening.”
The sheriff’s office was also satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.
“We really opened up dialogue and made some positive steps to help obtain a more diverse work force,” Henson said.
He and Sheriff Gulledge appreciated Scott’s willingness to help make the difference.
“I think we are making positive steps to keep Paulding County moving forward,” Henson said.
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