The following article originally appeared in the February 2003 Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy newsletter:

Hi! In this addition of the CPAAA Newsletter I am going to give you a brief overview of "Special Operations." Some of you may recall from your days in the CPA what Special Operations consists of. However, when I am asked, "What is Special Operations" I usually leave something(s) out. So this is as much for my benefit as yours! The Special Operations Section falls under the Uniform Division. There are the 5 Districts, Special Operations, and Aviation. Special Operations consists of the Accident Investigation Unit, Court Liaison Officer, Crime Prevention Unit, Environmental Enforcement Unit, K-9 Unit, and Park Police Unit. The Section also includes Traffic Operations, which consists of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, DUI Task Force and the Motor Squad. In our organization the SWAT team does not fall under Special Operations. The commander of this Unit, Major Bart Hulsey, reports directly to the Chief. Also, our Aviation Unit commander reports directly to the Uniform Division commander, Colonel Charles Walters.

Members of Special Operations receive specialized training in order to accomplish their specific mission. The training and the skills they develop help provide a high quality of service to the citizens. While assigned normal duties these officers frequently offer support and assistance to other components of the Department when the need arises due to an emergency or unusual event.

The Accident Investigation Unit (AIU) is responsible for the investigation of all fatal or life-threatening traffic crashes. The Unit is also responsible for the follow-up investigation of Hit and Run accidents. There are 8 officers along with their supervisor, Sergeant Randy Lane. AIU investigated 57 fatal crashes in 2002, which resulted in 63 fatalities. The factors which contribute to most fatal and serious injury crashes are DUI, Speeding, Failing to Grant Right of Way, and not wearing seat belts or a combination of these violations. The Unit also responds to call-outs involving serious injury crashes.

The Court Liaison Officer (Officer Mark Schroyer) is responsible for coordinating the thousands of subpoenas issued by the Magistrate, State, and Superior Courts to the members of our department, both civilian and sworn officers at all the various locations and various shifts (as well as keeping up with who is in training or on leave). The Court Liaison also helps resolve conflicts between the court officials. prosecutors, and our employees.

The Crime Prevention Unit focuses on providing safety and educational programs for the public. There are a wide variety of programs offered to the citizens including the COPS program and TRIAD, a partnership between law enforcement and senior citizens. The officers assigned to the Unit also do presentations on crime and safety related issues such as Acquaintance Rape, Bicycle Safety, Gang Awareness, and Senior Citizen Safety to name a few. Several of the officers assigned to the Unit are also Child Safety Seat Technicians and assist with selective traffic safety and enforcement programs. Lieutenant John Strickland recently transferred from this Unit to the Chief's Office. Taking his place is Lieutenant Brett West. Along with Lieutenant West there are 2 sergeants and 8 officers.

The Environmental Enforcement Unit, lead by Corporal Greg Browning, is responsible for the enforcement of the solid waste and property maintenance ordinances. In 2002 the two officers assigned to the Unit received over 1,100 solid waste complaints through Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. There were also self-initiated activity and incident reports forwarded for investigation. Officers also worked cases with other agencies including Gwinnett County Planning and Development, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The K-9 Unit, lead by Sergeant Danny Bayreuther, consists of 4 K-9's used for tracking and narcotics searches and 1 Explosive Detection K-9. These officers support the Criminal Investigation and Uniform Divisions. While on patrol, K-9 officers also respond to General and Traffic Calls for service. Additionally, officers and their K-9 partners participated in numerous demonstrations for the community such as at schools and community groups such as the Citizens Police Academy. Each year the K-9 teams send hundreds of hours in training and are re-certified each year in their area of expertise.

The Park Police Unit, lead by Lieutenant Joy Parish, is primarily responsible for patrolling over 7,335 acres of Gwinnett County parks and green space. In addition to patrolling county parks the 12 officers assigned to the Unit also patrol shopping areas during high traffic times, such as the Christmas shopping season. Patrol is typically accomplished on bicycles, which provides the officers with the opportunity to quickly respond to locations that cannot be easily accessed by patrol cars while at the same time providing the officers with the opportunity to interact with the public. Park Police officers also assist other Special Operations Units & the Uniform Precincts.

The goal of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, a 2 man unit led by Lieutenant Danny Holmes, is to reduce commercial vehicle crashes and promote motor carrier safety. According to the Public Service Commission, Gwinnett County ranked first in Georgia in fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles in the state in 2001. Officers work commercial vehicle enforcement in high crash areas and respond to citizen complaints involving commercial vehicles. These officers also participate in other operations and provide assistance to Uniform Patrol. Several other officers assigned to traffic are certified as commercial motor vehicle inspectors, which provides them the ability to inspect commercial vehicles.

Sergeant Roy Smith and the 8 officers assigned to the DUI Task Force concentrate their enforcement efforts on the apprehension of impaired drivers. Enforcement efforts by the DUI Task Force resulted in the arrest of 1,647 DUI offenders in 2002. A large percentage of these arrests were made during Sobriety Checkpoints. A number of recent court decisions, as well as attorneys who specialize in DUI cases (including giving seminars on how to beat a DUI arrest), have made the arrest and conviction of DUI suspects more difficult. The officers assigned to the DUI Task Force frequently find themselves in either Administrative Law Hearings or in court as a result of the DUI arrests they make. Task Force officers also issued over 5,000 traffic citations in 2002.

The Motorcycle Unit's primary mission is to reduce traffic crashes through selective traffic enforcement, as well as other details such as escorts and funeral details when needed. The Unit also provides traffic direction and perimeter security when there is an extended problem such as gas main breaks, major traffic crashes, bomb threats, and similar situations. The eight officers and supervisor, Sergeant Craig Adair, assigned to the Unit also work on various educational programs, directed at our teen drivers, to help warn them of the dangers of driving. In 2002 they issued over 14,000 traffic citations. Officer Ken Burton, a member of the Motor Unit, was severely injured while operating his motorcycle in 2002 and is recuperating from his injuries & making steady progress.

The Motor Unit also participated in several Click It or Ticket countywide seat-belt enforcement and education programs as well as the Teen Safe Driving program and other traffic safety initiatives. As a result of these programs officers issued 1,707 seat-belt/child restraint citations. Cpl. Hal King of the Motor Unit successfully completed a Police Motorcycle Riders Instructors Course at IPTM in Florida in November. This training was completed in order to address concerns of the dangers of riding a police motorcycle, especially in light of the heavy vehicular traffic on our roads. Earlier this year Cpl. King completed the POST Instructors Course. This training will provide for regular in-service riding program.