Q: A recent article in the AJC stated, “the requirements for arresting a peace officer in Georgia are different from arresting others.” Can you provide additional information about this statement?
—Alice Fink, Tucker
A: Law enforcement officers must have a warrant issued by a "judge of a superior court, a judge of a state court, or a judge of a probate court," before arresting a sheriff or other law enforcement officer, according to state law.
Teachers and school administrators also are included in the law, which dates to the 1860s, the AJC reported.
For the law enforcement officers, teachers and school administrators to receive the special circumstances, the offenses were “alleged to have been committed while in the performance of his or her duties.”
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter recently said he didn’t arrest Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill because “a sitting sheriff cannot be charged except by a warrant issued by a Superior Court judge.”
Police say Hill was involved in an incident in which 43-year-old Gwenevere McCord was shot at a home in Lawrenceville on May 3.
Q: Was there a draft in the U.S. during World War I?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: The U.S. enacted the Selective Service Act of 1917 for the purpose of raising an army to enter World War I.
There were about 100,000 soldiers in the U.S. Army in 1914 and 121,000 by 1917.
The initial draft age ranged from 21 years old to 30, and it was later increased to 18-45.
More than 2.8 million U.S. men were drafted during World War I to serve in the various armed forces.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? 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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