For Immediate Release:      April 27, 2004

 

The Hall County Sheriff's Office handled the Tour de Georgia and the Murrayville Parade on Saturday, April 24, 2004, with no interruptions to regular patrol services. This was one of the single largest days ever handled by the Sheriff’s Office.

 

In order to accomplish this feat the Hall County Sheriff's Office fielded over 120 officers. The Tour de Georgia had 85 officers assigned to handle the temporary road closures while 13 officers handled the Murrayville Parade. The two events where held simultaneously and went off flawlessly with minimal interruption of traffic. The normal Uniform Patrol Division shift also had it’s usual 21 officers and was unaffected by the days events.

 

The cost for the day’s activities was held to minimum and is estimated at approximately $9,500.00. The Sheriff’s Office also utilized 10 Reserve Deputies at no cost to the County.

 

The citizens can be proud of their Sheriff’s Office and rest assured that the Hall County Sheriff's Office has dedicated, well-trained officers and the proper command staff to handle large-scale events here in our community.

 

These events tested a number of local agencies including the Gainesville Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol as well, and strengthened the agencies ability to work together during large events.

 

The Hall County Sheriff's Office offers a special thanks to the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit, which provided a helicopter for the Sheriff’s Office Field Commander. This enabled the Field Commander to control the event from the air. This proved an invaluable tool due to the course stretching approximately 25 miles.