March 2023 Blues Vol 39 No. 3

STREET CRIMES UNITS The

STREET CRIMES UNITS The Right Stuff for Sure. Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (Georgia) While the Memphis Police Department has demonstrated a serious and problematic failure of their role within their own community through the egregious actions of their now disbanded SCORPI- ON Unit, other agencies are successfully combating crime with a similar model. One of these includes the Fulton County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office. FULTON COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS AND CRIME Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was approximately 1,066,710, making it the state’s most-populous county and its only one with over one million inhabitants. Its county seat and largest city is Atlanta, the state capital. Approximately 90% of the City of Atlanta is within Fulton County; the other 10% lies within DeKalb County. Fulton County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to recently released crime statistics by the National Incident Based Reporting System, violent crime in this area continues to rise, with the Atlanta area now considered one of the most dangerous cities in the state. Sheriff Patrick Labat and his command staff, with their extensive public safety experience, are committed to addressing these issues head on. LEADERSHIP AND VISION Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat is serving as the 28th Sheriff of Fulton County, Georgia. With 30 years of success in the public safety sector and a decade as Chief of the City of Atlanta Department of Corrections, Sheriff Labat has a proven track record as a decisive leader and change agent. He has reputation for motivating his workforce through active and engaged, hands-on leadership. As Chief of the City of Atlanta Department of Corrections, he served on the Mayor’s executive team as well as other executive policy-making bodies. He was responsible for providing the visionary leadership for a + million budget while achieving high levels of success and promoting effectiveness and efficiency across all departments within the City of Atlanta. Labat maintained a nationally accredited detention facility, pioneered youth diversion programs, senior citizen meal service programs and the nationally acclaimed PAT3 reentry program. He was named Jail Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Jail Association in 2015 and 2019. The main pillars of his vision for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office revolve around crime reduction and public safety, improved jail conditions (which will result in better, more efficient use of tax dollars), repeat offenders and reentry as well as Use-offorce Police Review & Accountability. Sheriff Labat served as the President of the Georgia Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) in 2011, President of the Georgia Jail Association (GJA) in 2016. Additionally, he was invited to serve as a witness at the Social Problems Hearing for the President’s 2020 Commission for Law Enforcement and Justice. THE SCORPION UNIT The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office SCORPION unit, one of several SCORPION units in the state, By Dr. Tina Jaeckle 48 The BLUES The BLUES 49 48 The BLUES The BLUES 49