Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
HAHIRA —
When I first heard about the town of Hahira, I certainly didn’t imagine big lights or that the community ever saw anything exciting really. I got a whole new prospective Friday night.
I was given the opportunity to go cover the big Southern Region Division road block held in Hahira. My first thought, to be quite honest, was, “Wow this should be exciting. There will probably be a total of five cars passing through.” Boy was I wrong (about the five cars passing through, that is)!
This is my account of the events from my very first “stakeout” with Georgia Law Enforcement.
At 7:15 p.m.
I arrived at the meeting spot. I knew right away I had the right address; it was hard to miss the police/sheriff’s cars that lined Randall Street and filled the parking area. I prepared my mind with the positive thoughts that this is my job, and however boring it may be tonight, I must grin and bear it and do my very best. I stepped into the building, and there were wall-to-wall officers from Valdosta to Fitzgerald and all the towns in between. It was a regular police convention!
Almost immediately, I was approached by a very nice gentleman whom I will just refer to as “Mr. T.” I guess it was pretty obvious to him who I was. He asked me if I was the media. Even if you try to just slip in unannounced and hang out in the background, people can sense you are a reporter with their built-in media radar detector.
Mr. T named off the law enforcement agencies who were present for the road block. There were representatives from Valdosta, Cook County, Tifton, Adel, Hahira, Fitzgerald, the Highway State Patrol, Omega and Quitman.
The SRTEN (Southern Regional Traffic Enforcement Network) meeting was nearing its end. The big meeting is held every year and this was Hahira’s year to host it. Chief Terry Davis of the Hahira Police Department gave the men and women a final run down for the night. “It’s a zero tolerance night,” Davis said. “Anyone who is DUI, we have our judge here (Judge David Sandback). We are writing up those who have no proof of insurance and driving without or on a suspended license. We are writing up everything, and letting the judge figure it out later.” He ended by
announcing the next meeting and telling everyone to divide into four groups. Everyone dispersed at 7:25 p.m.
At approximately 7:45 p.m.
We got to the stakeout location. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought there was a big shootout or an escaped prisoner somewhere in the area. There were lights galore! The orange cones were already set up as well as the “BAT” mobile. The BAT (Blood Alcohol/Breath Alcohol Testing van) mobile was, in essence, a mini precinct on wheels. It was set up to pre-process and hold suspects in small cells until they were transported by another van to the Cook County jail.
I didn’t have to wait very long to see the first suspect being led into the BAT mobile.
At approximately 8:15 p.m.
A white male in his 30s was pulled over, handcuffed and taken into the BAT mobile for processing. He was arrested and charged with driving on a suspended license, according to officials.
I was now getting really excited and pumped up for some reason. I asked an officer if I could stand in the middle of the road and interview people as they were being checked by law enforcement. His first response was no, but I made the request again and said please. He radioed in to the chief to get the clearance, and I was suited up with a neon colored police vest. I really felt important then, like I was a part of the crew. Hahira Police Officer Marshall Armstrong waved me out to the middle of the road. I asked the driver of the vehicle what his thoughts were about the road block. “It’s not a problem,” the man stated. “I’m just getting off from work. I don’t mind it.” I thanked him and walked away. As luck would have it, the first person I interviewed was told to pull over. A quick search of the vehicle was performed and one unopened beer can was found. The man was given the O.K. to leave.
At approximately 9 p.m.
I barely had time to recover from that excitement when a 25-year-old suspect was brought out of a Quitman police car in handcuffs. He, too, was put in the BAT mobile. Chief Davis told me to come inside and watch as he processes the suspect. He explained the breathalyzer machine to me and told the suspect to breathe into it. The test registered at a lower rate than what is considered by Georgia law to be a DUI; therefore, the suspect was not arrested for that offense. He was, however, arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. The suspect insisted the drug did not belong to him, but possibly, the owner of the car.
The crowd grew as the night went on. It was, in essence, a social event for the town’s people. They plan these events out like one would plan a party and bring pies and coffee. Approximately 20-25 onlookers were gathered around, mostly by the BAT mobile, looking in on the suspects in custody. I got to know some of the officers, deputies and citizens of the community. Chief Davis is a hoot! For a second, I forgot I was working.
At approximately 9:20 p.m.
I was quickly reminded I was on the job when an irate woman was pulled over and ticketed for a seat belt violation. She was not going to take that citation without a few choice words for the police. She hopped out of her car, leaving around four kids (or young teens) inside, and stomped her way over to one of the Cook County sheriffs. After she gave him a tongue lashing, she got back into her car and drove off, still ranting and with the young passengers inside laughing and pointing.
For the most part, people seemed to comply with the road check. No one really appeared to be bothered by it. Mr. T said the citizens want the streets to be controlled. “Hahira is a community where people ride around in golf carts and children play outside, so you can’t have people speeding through the streets,” he stated. “They also have these road blocks every so often so people are pretty used to them.”
At 9:36 p.m.
I was asked if I wanted to ride to the county lockup to see how suspects are booked. Three suspects were put into the Cook County transport van. I asked the suspects if I could interview them. I got a yes response from one, a head nod from another and a blank stare from the third one. I hopped into the back of the van with the suspects, not even thinking really, and started with the questioning. Deputy Lee Roberts told me I can’t ride in the back with the suspects. My response was, “Oh, they won’t bother me.” The people standing around must have thought I was crazy or something. I got out though and took my place in the front seat. I got an ear full from the 25-year-old suspect (I agreed not to use his name for this article). His story included a police conspiracy to a prior arrest, which he has a lawyer working on, to how he helped save a girl who was in an automobile accident. I found myself going from reporter to counselor. I have often been told I should go into counseling, but I don’t think it’s a job I could do every day. I kept it real with him and told him what I thought. While we were engaged in conversation, another suspect was placed in the van. I was not able to get to the other suspects.
The drive to Cook County was a long one (20 minutes to be exact). I think it seemed to be a little longer than what it actually was because I was getting tired and still had to go to the office to work on my article. We arrived at the county jail and pulled into the sally port. Deputy Roberts explained the process to me, and I watched as the suspects were searched and put into a holding cell. I saw inside a holding cell for the first time in my life, and believe me, I don’t ever want to see one again. I didn’t even do anything wrong, but I felt a little uneasy.
Deputy Roberts and I left around 10 p.m. and went to the truck stop. All the other officers/deputies gathered there for a coffee break before heading out to the next block spot. Officer Joey Wright asked me if I was going to join them. I told everyone I had a good time and appreciate all of them, but it was time for me to go home. I learned so much from so many. Everyone was really nice to me, but I thought by that time, I had enough information to write my first stakeout story.
I have a new found respect for law enforcement. They really do work around the clock to make sure the citizens of the community are safe. I also learned the difference between deputies and police officers. Deputies can go anywhere and arrest anyone at any given time. They don’t fall under the jurisdiction clauses that police officers do. Deputy Roberts said he just went to Atlanta to arrest a man and transport him back here. There are other differences of course, but that was a piece of information I did not know.
Before the night wrapped up (for me anyway), I met and spoke to Councilman Terry Benjamin who was just one of the many community leaders at the road block. He said he seldom misses a road block and added the sheriff and police departments are definitely supported. Sherry Brown, a citizen of the community, echoed Benjamin by saying, in her opinion, they have the best police force.
The crime rate in Hahira is at a low thanks to the many men and women who do their part to protect the citizens. The small town community is not without its share of problems, but resident Tondra Larson said, “The good thing about living in a small community is that the law enforcement is able to control the crime.”
The Southern Region Division of Highway Safety road block definitely served its purpose Friday night. “The main purpose of this is to make sure everyone is safe,” stated Sgt Ivan Davis of the Quitman Police Department. “Community safety is our top priority.”
