Police Chief: Lawrence "Larry" Ethridge Blackshear Police Department 219 Nichols St. Blackshear, Georgia 31516 Email: Phone: 912-449-7011 Fax: 912-449-7012 For emergencies, please call 911

The Blackshear Police Department consists of three (3) divisions: Investigations & Special Operations and Patrol & Training.

The Investigations and Special Operations Division is headed by Chief Lawrence (Larry) Ethridge. This division consists of the following units:

1. Administration
2. Municipal Court
3. Criminal Investigations
4. Traffic Enforcement
5. Drug Enforcement

The Administrative Office consists of two civilian employees. These employees are responsible for maintaining Police Department personnel records, preparing payroll, maintaining Municipal Court records, preparing the calendar for court, receiving payments for fines and permits and preparing monthly activity reports to forward to the Chief of Police and the Georgia and National Crime Information Centers.

The Municipal Court is presided over by Judge Kenneth Futch. The Solicitor is Neal Conner (#912-283-4394) and Public Defender is Shawn Wildes (#912-284-1412). The City of Blackshear offers probation through Maximus Probation (Walls Plaza, Blackshear, GA #912-449-0533). Court is scheduled the second Thursday of each month. Bench Trials are held at 9:00am and arraignments are held at 10:00am. The courtroom is located in City Hall at 318 Taylor St. The court hears cases for violations of City Ordinances, violations of State Traffic Laws and specific State Criminal Laws. The Court has the authority to fine up to $1,000.00 plus surcharges, incarcerate violators for up to 12 months, or place a violator on probation for up to 12 months.

(1) Personal Checks (local bank), Certified check, money order, or cashier's check must be received before court date shown on citation.
(2) If you do not wish to come to court, your cash bond will be forfeited as a fine. This excludes DUI's which require a court appearance.
(3) Please include a copy of citation with your remittance. If unavailable give your name and address exactly as shown on the citation and the date the citation was issued. Give the citation number if known.
(4) CAUTION: Your license will be suspended by the Department of Public Safety if you fail to comply with the requirements of the law.

The Criminal Investigations Unit is supervised by Det. Terri Tuten. The Criminal Investigations Unit has the responsibility of investigating criminal cases, locating missing persons, and analyzing crime trends to formulate prevention strategies, and implementing crime prevention programs. The Blackshear Police Department has a tip line which allows a person to remain anonymous and still give information.

The Traffic Enforcement Unit is supervised by Sgt. Greg Evans. The unit consists of one corporal, and nine patrol officers tasked with enforcing traffic laws, investigating traffic accidents and directing traffic during special events. They also answer calls to the special needs of the citizens.

The primary mission of the Drug Enforcement Unit is the enforcement of drug laws. This officer conducts undercover operations, executes search warrants, and gathers intelligence on illegal drug organizations. This officer is also responsible for the investigation of vice crimes, conducting surveillances in cooperation with the Criminal Investigation Units, and apprehending fugitives. The Drug Enforcement Unit supervisor is Detective Chris Wright.

The Police Department no longer operates a jail, but houses inmates in the Pierce County Jail.

The Patrol and Training Division is headed by Lt. Terri Tuten. This Division consists of the following units:

1. Uniform Patrol
2. Communications
3. Animal Control

Chief Ethridge and Lt. Terri Tuten are responsible for developing and implementing a quality training program for our officers. This training program is geared toward preparing officers to move up in rank with the Police Department.

The Uniform Patrol Unit consists of one Lieutenant, one Patrol Sergeant, one Corporal, nine Patrol Officers. They patrol the city, enforcing Federal, State, and Local Traffic and Criminal Laws and Ordinances.

The Uniform Patrol Unit conducts talks with schools and civic clubs on law enforcement issues and safety procedures. They conduct business security checks during and after business hours. Uniform Patrol has answered 2,713 calls for service and patrolled 144,000 miles from January 2007 to December 2008.

911 takes all incoming calls from citizens, and dispatches calls for service to all of the Units of the Police Department. They do inquiries on Tags, Guns, Articles, People and Drivers Licenses to check for stolen items or wanted persons. They enter items stolen in our jurisdiction into the State and National Crime Computer System to enhance the recovery of stolen items and the arrest of wanted persons by our department.

The Animal Control Unit consists of an Animal Control Officer Stanley Moody. He enforces City, State, and Federal animal control laws. He responds to calls concerning domestic animals as well as wild animals. He is the only Animal Control Officer in the City.