Chatham County Police Update With Chief Jeff Hadley:
Building Effective Community Policing
At the September 15th Zoom meeting of the Skidaway Hamiltons, Inc., Chief Jeff Hadley updated attendees on recent developments in the relatively new Chatham County Police Department (CCPD). With 30 years of law enforcement experience, Chief Hadley was hired from Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2017 to build a brand-new Chatham County police force. With a staff of 140 officers and an annual budget of $16 million, the department is responsible for policing all of unincorporated Chatham County, which includes nearly 100,000 residents.
Chief Hadley is proud that the CCPC is nearly fully staffed in such a short time. Its recruitment efforts have resulted in a diverse and talented police force: 35% African-American, nearly 30% female officers, 60% new to policing, and many new hires with military backgrounds. The department has intentionally hired the best new people with the right mindsets – stringent standards on backgrounds, strong psychological profiles, and highly motivated to work closely with the community. He wanted people with a passion for public service and a desire to be an officer “for the right reasons.”
Chief Hadley especially stressed the importance of community policing – every officer should purposefully develop close contacts and positive relationships within the community. “We must get to know people at a real level. And if we do, then they tell us of any problems because they are comfortable with us.”
Most Crime in unincorporated Chatham County is property crime – burglaries, car thefts, larceny. About 10% are violent crimes. From the outset, long before the death of George Floyd, Chief Hadley has emphasized training in de-escalation, implicit bias, and procedural justice. CCPD officers must report/intervene if abuse by a fellow officer is occurring. No retaliation will be tolerated. A significant minority of the force has had crisis intervention training. Values are communicated and reinforced by such training.
Chief Hadley said the standard on the use of force was established by the Supreme Court, and the CCPD uses that standard. All officers have body cams (synced to their tasers), but funds are currently limited for dash cams (cost $6,000 per car).
Chief Hadley said they have a very good relationship with the Landings Association and Landings Security. Skidaway Island crime rates remain very low. Most policing issues in The Landings relate to golf carts!
