Q: A recent picture of Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill depicted on his re-election brochure shows him in full dress uniform with a five-star emblem on each shoulder. Is there a protocol or procedure for bestowing a five-star ranking on an elected or appointed position in local or state law enforcement?
—R.L. Baggarly, Jonesboro
A: Georgia doesn't have a standardized system for the uniforms of sheriffs or police chiefs.
“I’ve seen a lot of different uniforms and decorations on uniforms,” Terry Norris, executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, told Q&A on the News. “It’s what that sheriff chooses to wear.”
Law enforcement is “paramilitary,” he said, meaning the rank or “brass” on a uniform generally is related to that rank in the U.S. military.
Mark W. McDonough, Georgia’s commissioner of public safety, wears an eagle because he is colonel in the Georgia State Patrol.
Some sheriffs, Norris said, don’t wear uniforms and some wear plain uniforms with little more than a sheriff’s star for decoration.
Florida, on the other hand, has a state law that requires sheriffs and deputies to wear uniforms that include forest green and white. The law includes sheriff department vehicles and applies to almost every department in the state.
The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association recommends that newly elected sheriffs who want to put their “own brand” (on their department) and change things make those changes to existing uniforms and vehicles as they “wear out,” Norris said.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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