July 30th could be celebrated as the birthday of democracy in America, as the Virginia House of Burgesses became the first legislative body in the New World on July 30, 1619.
Its first law, which, like all of its laws, would have to be approved by the London Company, required tobacco to be sold for at least three shillings per pound. Other laws passed during its first six-day session included prohibitions against gambling, drunkenness, and idleness, and a measure that made Sabbath observance mandatory.
Vincent Van Gogh died of a gunshot wound on July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his eighth visit to Warm Springs, Georgia on July 29, 1927.
On July 30, 1931, Georgia Governor Richard B. Russell, Jr. signed legislation merging Milton and Fulton Counties if voters in each county approved a referendum. Fulton had earlier merged with Campbell County, to the south.
Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautic and Space Admininistration (NASA) on July 29, 1958.
Actor Laurence Fishburn was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed legislation creating Medicare, for seniors, and Medicaid for some low-income people on July 30, 1965.
The Doors’ “Light My Fire” became their first #1 hit on July 29, 1967.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981.
Carl Lewis won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the long jump at the Atlanta Olympics on July 29, 1996.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District will return to the polls for a Special Runoff Election on August 25, 2026, according to WRDW.
The special election to fill out the late Rep. David Scott’s term in Congress is headed to a runoff.
Five candidates were on Tuesday’s ballot, including Caesar Gonzalez, Carlos Moore, Everton Blair II, Fayth Park and Marcye Scott, the late representative’s daughter.
Scott and Blair, both Democrats, got the most votes, with roughly 47% and 37%, respectively.
Because no one got a majority of votes, Scott and Blair will face each other in a runoff election on Aug. 25.
Blair previously served as the chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Education.
Rep. David Scott’s 13th congressional district includes portions of Rockdale, Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry and Newton counties.
Scott died at age 80 in April after almost five decades of public service at the state and national levels.
November’s nationally watched Georgia midterms will elect either state Rep. Jasmine Clark or Republican Jonathan Chavez in the heavily Democratic district to a full, two-year congressional term.
Candidates Marcye Scott and Everton Blair will go another round in August for a runoff because neither candidate secured more than 50% of the votes. Scott missed winning 50% of the vote by four percentage points, while Blair reeled in just under 37.4% of voters.
District 13 includes parts of six counties, including Clayton, DeKalb, Henry, Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale.
Blair also made a run for the Democratic nomination in the May primaries, hoping to be elected later to serve District 13 for a full two-year term. He came up short against state Rep. Jasmine Clark, who secured the nomination and will face Republican Jonathan Chavez in November.
However, he says he feels good about heading to the runoff.
“We’ve been in this race for a long time …and I’m ready to show folks that we deserve new representation — change is on the horizon,” Blair told WABE following Tuesday’s election.
“I am ready and want to do everything I can. And no matter how long or how short the time frame may be to make sure we get the representation we deserve … we can do so much better than we are.”
Meanwhile, Marcye Scott could be the first-ever Black woman to occupy the seat if elected in August.
“It just looks like women are taking the lead in these types of roles, but it would be an honor to be the first to represent the 13th Congressional District,” she told WABE Tuesday night.
“We’re going to wake up and keep it moving … Some of the voter fatigue is a real thing. I’ve been doing this my whole life, so I’m just ready to keep it moving.”
The runoff is set for Aug. 25.
Governor Brian Kemp announced 44 appointments to state boards and commissions.
More on Rick Jackson’s $87 million dollar ad buy, from the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
Starting Saturday, Georgians who watch television or go online will likely encounter campaign ads from Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for governor.
The wealthy entrepreneur announced this week that he will spend $87 million on an initial ad buy to promote his campaign against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democrat.
“This is the largest general election buy of this race, and it reflects exactly how seriously we take the job of earning every vote in every one of Georgia’s 159 counties,” Garrison Douglas, the Jackson campaign spokesman, said in a statement Monday.
Bottoms’ campaign fired back Tuesday, pointing to Jackson’s business dealings with the state, which have earned his company, Jackson Healthcare, more than $1 billion, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in March.
“Rick Jackson made a billion dollars off of taxpayer-funded contracts with the state for health care services, even while rural hospitals closed and Georgians lost health care coverage, and now he’s trying to buy this election,” Bottoms’ campaign spokesperson, TaNisha Cameron, said in an email.
Jackson has been campaigning on his business background ever since he announced his candidacy in February, describing himself as a former foster child and self-made billionaire.
Last week, the Jackson campaign attacked Bottoms as anti-business after she posted an Instagram video responding to “online chatter” about Jackson’s visit to a Black-owned business.
Bottoms had alleged that Jackson was visiting barbershops, restaurants and other minority-owned businesses merely to promote his campaign. In her brief video posted in mid-July, she called that hypocritical because she said he opposed diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“I’m assuming anybody who opens their doors to Rick Jackson has made a calculated decision based on the benefits and the risk of doing that,” Bottoms said. “But don’t allow people to piss on us and then tell us that it’s raining.”
The Jackson campaign said people online had been calling for a boycott of a Black-owned brunch spot Jackson had visited. The campaign accused Bottoms of effectively warning businesses not to admit Jackson and said she should have defended the restaurant.
Jackson pressed the issue while on stage with President Donald Trump last week, during the president’s visit to Wheeler High School in Cobb County.
“My opponent wants to cut down businesses and cancel them just because I visited a restaurant,” Jackson said. “Well, that’s just wrong.”
Jackson said he would focus on business to address the cost-of-living issues that are top of mind for many voters.
“I’m going to bring business solutions to solve real problems,” Jackson said. “The other side talks about affordability as if that’s a solution. Affordability’s not a political problem. Affordability is a business problem. It requires business solutions.”
Jackson also said he was going to be Trump’s “favorite governor,” and Trump responded that Jackson would be a “great” governor.
Bottoms said in her video that she supports small businesses, having helped minority- and women-owned companies secure grants and low-interest loans. She said she normally gives them her own personal business.
“Jackson’s in this for himself and to serve Donald Trump, and Keisha’s the only candidate in this race who will stand up for Georgians,” her spokesperson, Cameron, said.
Democrats predict that the president’s endorsement of Jackson, whom they call an “out-of-touch billionaire,” would ultimately hurt Jackson’s campaign.
A national poll earlier this month found that Republicans had become less positive about the economy since January.
“The share of Republicans who say Trump’s policies have worsened conditions has risen from 18% to 28%, while the share saying they have improved conditions has fallen from 57% to 42%,” said the the Pew Research Center report, which was focused on the national mood and on Congress rather than specifically on Georgia.
Jackson’s campaign said Georgians simply need to hear from the man himself and that the advertising blitz will help.
“Rick Jackson has spent this campaign showing up in places candidates usually skip,” Douglas said, “and this buy makes sure all 11 million Georgians hear the same thing the people in those rooms have heard, which is that he is running to fight for them.”
Jackson campaigned in St Marys, according to WSAV.
Republican candidate Rick Jackson stopped in St. Marys to speak with residents Tuesday night as he continues his run for Georgia’s top seat.
Jackson talked one-on-one with voters, thanked them for their support and discussed key issues.
Jackson is originally a businessman and announced his candidacy in early February. From there, he won the Republican nomination in the primary and defeated Former Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
WSAV spoke with multiple attendees who shared why they came out to meet Jackson.
“He is not a politician, he is a businessman and we need more people like him,” One St. Marys resident said.
Voters shared Jackson is the candidate that stands for issues important to them such as the Save Act. The act requires individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
“The save act is really our biggest thing; there should not be people who illegal vote in our county or in our state,” One voter said.
Meanwhile, young voters in attendance said Tuesday night was a way to use their voice and become more involved in what happens in their future.
“Just go vote, be active in politics, because it matters,” A young voter said. “We’re the future. So, we need to make a difference.”
Wednesday, former Atlanta mayor and Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms will kick off her heath care tour. She will speak with residents about the issues that ae directly impacting them.
Democratic candidate for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned in Coastal Georgia, according to WSAV.
Democratic candidate for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms is bringing her campaign to Southeast Georgia this week as part of a three-day tour focused on rural health care and Medicaid expansion.
The former Atlanta mayor is making stops in several communities across the region, where she plans to meet with health care workers, veterans and local residents ahead of the general election.
Bottoms begins the tour Wednesday in Statesboro with a roundtable discussion featuring nurses and other health care professionals. Her campaign says the conversation will center on expanding Medicaid and strengthening support for rural hospitals.
Later Wednesday, Bottoms will travel to Jesup for another health care roundtable before ending the day with a community meet-and-greet.
The tour continues Thursday with campaign events in Woodbine and Brunswick before wrapping up Friday with a veterans roundtable in Richmond Hill.
Political analysts say campaign visits like these can be especially important in Coastal Georgia, where candidates have opportunities to connect directly with voters in a politically competitive region.
“Coastal Georgia is extremely important statewide,” said Dr. Geoff Bowden, associate professor and coordinator of political science at Savannah State University. “There is pretty much a lockdown in a lot of other parts of the state. We’re a little more diverse and interesting, I think, electorally than other parts of the state. She’s got to get those people out to vote. One of the ways that you do that is you generate enthusiasm. And one of the ways that you generate enthusiasm is you show up.”
Bottoms secured the Democratic nomination for governor with more than 56% of the vote. Her campaign says the Southeast Georgia swing is part of a broader effort to meet voters in communities across the state before the general election.
WSAV will be following Bottoms’ campaign stops throughout the day and will provide updates on-air and online as the tour continues.
Seventh Congressional District Democrat Tony Kozycki challenged incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick to six debates, according to AccessNorthGA.
The debates Kozycki has challenged would consist of one in each of the six counties in the 7th District: Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin, Forsyth, Fulton, and Cherokee Counties.
Access North Georgia got a statement from Rep. McCormick’s staff, who said he would continue hosting town halls and “meeting with local leaders.”
“Dr. McCormick will continue hosting town halls, meeting with local leaders, and attending community events across the region because he knows the best way to represent the district is to hear directly from the people he serves,” the statement read. “Those face-to-face conversations shape the Congressman’s legislative priorities and guide the work he does every day to deliver real results in Washington.”
President Trump is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow an Executive Order restricting mail-in ballots to remain in place, according to Atlanta News First via WTVM.
The Trump administration is urging the United States Supreme Court to uphold an executive order to curb mail in voting, despite the order being rejected by lower courts.
The order instructs federal agencies – namely the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration – to compile “citizenship lists” of eligible voters, and for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail in ballots only to people on that list come election time. States and cities that don’t comply could lose federal funding.
A lower court judge in Massachusetts recently rejected the order’s legal status, siding with 23 Democratic led states who argued election laws were up to states to decide, not the federal government.
The ask of the nation’s highest court comes as Trump pushes D.C. lawmakers to also pass his SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship in order to vote.
“They should get the Act done. If they don’t get it done, it’s going to be a very bad thing for the party,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force 1 this week. “The Democrats are going to vote 100% against voter identification and proof of citizenship. 100%.”
During a special election in Georgia’s 13th District on Tuesday to fill the vacant seat of late-Congressman David Scott, voters were concerned that curbing mail in ballots based on a list could create confusion and error.
“We vote by mail most of the time as a matter of fact and I want to make it as easy to vote as possible,” said one voter, Phil Critcher. “Obviously we don’t want to have fraud, but this talk about fraud, I think it’s bogus.”
At the same time, Georgia lawmakers are now tasked with selecting a new method of tabulating votes in the state, after outlawing the currently used QR-code based system.
One likely scenario is a switch to hand-marked paper ballots, something 30-plus states already do. But many voters felt a wholesale change was unnecessary in the first place.
“The instances of voter fraud are so low, the system seems to be working well,” said voter John Lyons. “It’s not hard to press buttons on a screen. We all have embraced technology, why would we think that it’s a problem with voting? That just doesn’t really add up.”
This week, the Georgia legislative leaders announced the members who will sit on the newly formed Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee – the body that will make recommendations to fellow lawmakers on what new vote tabulating system might fit best.
The panel included Rep. Tim Fleming, the GOP nominee for secretary of state, as well as several members of the public appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp, himself a former Georgia secretary of state.
Kemp appointed Deidre Holden, Paulding County Elections and Voter Registration supervisor; Chris Harvey, executive director of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council and former Elections Director and Chief Investigator in the Secretary of State’s Office; and Sam Hatcher, executive counsel for the governor’s office, to serve as the committee’s public members. Speaker Jon Burns appointed Rep. Victor Anderson (R–Cornelia) to serve as House co-chair, along with Representatives Tim Fleming (R–Covington) and Scott Holcomb (D–Atlanta). As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Assignments, Lt. Governor Burt Jones appointed Sen. Max Burns (R–Sylvania) to serve as Senate co-chair, along with Senators Bo Hatchett (R–Cornelia) and Rick Williams (R–Milledgeville).
“As a former Secretary of State and current Governor, I know firsthand just how much our system of governance rests on being able to trust the results of the ballot box,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “That’s why we’ve made it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia, and I look forward to the recommendations from the committee on how we can preserve that trust.”
From the Associated Press via 13WMAZ:
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting.
The emergency appeal comes after an appeals court upheld a ruling blocking the president’s order in nearly half the country ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the proposed changes to move ahead while lawsuits play out.
Trump ordered the government in March to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters and deliver mail ballots only to people on that list.
Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, saying the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president. Their attorneys have said Trump’s proposed changes are ripe for abuse and could cause chaos.
A judge in Massachusetts blocked the order for the plaintiff states, and a 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld that ruling over the weekend.
The executive order issued in March calls for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to create a federal list of eligible voters. It tells the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list.
The appeal argues that Trump’s order lays out “general policy guidance” and doesn’t directly dictate how states run their elections.
“And the injunction is especially indefensible because the agencies are still deliberating over how (if at all) to implement the Order, yet the district court preemptively decided that whatever the agencies may choose to do will necessarily be unlawful,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote.
He urged the high court to move quickly, arguing that any new policies would have to be in place in August to be effective for the November elections.
Trump promoted the proposed changes as safeguards to keep non-U.S. citizens from voting. Noncitizen voting has been shown to be rare, and is a felony that can be punishable by deportation.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, agreed in June to halt implementation for the Nov. 3 elections.
A committee tasked with helping select Georgia’s next statewide election system is scheduled to hold its first meeting next week as lawmakers, election officials and other appointed members begin to envision a QR code-free method of voting.
The use of ballot QR codes have been a contentious issue throughout the last several years in Georgia politics. Proponents of hand-marked paper ballots have repeatedly called for ballots to be counted based on text that can be deciphered by humans, prompting state lawmakers to pass a bill a couple years ago preventing elections from being tallied using ballot QR codes after July 2026.
However, legislators failed to appropriate the roughly $66 million needed to make the switch and did not postpone the deadline during the 2026 session, so Gov. Brian Kemp summoned lawmakers back to the Capitol earlier this summer for a special session to address the looming election deadline.
Under a new law passed in June, Georgia’s current election system — which uses machines to mark voters’ selections and then prints a completed paper ballot — will remain in place until 2028, giving lawmakers time to replace the voting machines. The law also established a special committee which will focus solely on hand-marked paper ballot voting systems and issue a report to state lawmakers by February 2027.
“As a former secretary of state and current governor, I know firsthand just how much our system of governance rests on being able to trust the results of the ballot box,” Kemp said. “I look forward to the recommendations from the committee on how we can preserve that trust.”
The governor’s appointees to the committee include former state Elections Director Chris Harvey, Paulding County elections supervisor Deidre Holden and Kemp’s executive counsel Sam Hatcher.
Several Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Max Burns of Sylvania and Rep. Victor Anderson of Cornelia, will also sit on the committee according to a press release issued Tuesday. Covington Rep. Tim Fleming, the Republican nominee in the race to become the next secretary of state, will also be a member. Rep. Scott Holcomb of Atlanta is the only Democrat who was appointed to the committee.
Anderson, who also chairs the House committee that typically handles election bills, said he expected legislators from both chambers to be “pretty much in lockstep” with their goals for the panel.
“I don’t really see there being a House priorities or Senate priorities scenario in this committee,” Anderson said. “It’s more going to be what’s best for the voters in the state of Georgia.”
But Senate Democrats, who had raised concerns during the special session about being excluded from the committee, accused legislative leaders of “bad governance” over the panel’s composition.
“Both Democrats and Republicans care deeply about elections, election security and election integrity,” Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones said. “Shutting one side out of that conversation makes it ripe for partisan games and conspiracy theorist takeover.”
Joseph Kirk, the Bartow County elections director and past president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, said he hopes the meetings will be fruitful, giving legislators a head start heading into next year.
“The more the committee can get done before the next legislative session, the more they can talk about what we’re looking for from the system — not what brand we want or what company, but what we need out of the system,” he said.
The committee will hold its first meeting in Atlanta on Aug. 7.
Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams is fighting back against allegations of misspending, according to the AJC.
After the city of Stockbridge informed Mayor Jayden Williams he will face an investigation into allegations he misused city funds through city-issued credit cards, Williams defended his actions this week and fired back with his own call for a probe of the city’s finances — including a $32.9 million amendment to its fiscal 2024 budget.
In a nearly 90-minute livestream that can be viewed on YouTube, the 22-year-old mayor gave detailed explanations for several of the allegations against him. His legal team couched the City Council’s move to weaken the mayor’s authority and strip him of privileges as a petty effort to unseat the youngest mayor in the city’s history, and one who has questioned their leadership.
“I do feel like this is political,” Williams said in this week’s livestream, adding, “I’m willing to fight, 10 toes down, behind the city of Stockbridge.”
The mayor’s attorney, Robert Kenner Jr., acknowledged to the AJC that Williams should not have used his city-issued purchasing card to buy some items, but added that no one from the city trained him on proper spending after he became mayor in January.
Kenner also blamed some of the purchases by Williams on his naivety.
The investigation includes a review of more than $4,000 spent on donations and purchases made by the mayor at restaurants, stores and elsewhere. The city attorney sent Williams a 21-page letter, dated July 17, on behalf of the City Council that lists allegations against the mayor and notifies him there will be an “independent investigation.”
The majority of the purchases are for amounts under $100.
One transaction line shows $35 paid to a barber. Kenner said the mayor meant to pay for a haircut with his personal card but accidentally used his P-card because they are the same color, and that he has reimbursed the city.
The allegations in the letter also include an April 5 charge to a sporting goods store for $161. The mayor submitted a form that said the charge was for a golf tournament. A receipt showed he bought clothes, including Nike pants.
The letter adds that the mayor spent $21.59 at a clothing store and submitted a form for the purchase that says it was for a “Move with the Mayor” event. But the receipt says the charge was for a clothing item.
Asked about the apparent spending on clothes, Kenner told the AJC his client bought pants to wear to an event because, as he was heading there, his pants had ripped.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston wants embattled DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith recused from any cases involving the DA’s office while charges are pending against the judge, according to the AJC.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston is asking a county judge to recuse from all criminal cases and associated matters, saying in a court filing the judge has “demonstrated repeated and undeniable prejudice against me and my office.”
Boston wants DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith removed from anything involving her office until associated misconduct charges against the judge are resolved.
Last week, the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission accused Parker-Smith of violating the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, saying she improperly threatened to jail Boston and two associate district attorneys for allegedly being in contempt of court.
In a court filing Monday, Boston said Parker-Smith only backed down from “aggressively” pursuing the contempt matter after she and the other prosecutors hired private attorneys who then had extensive off-the-record discussions with the judge’s lawyer. Boston noted the judge’s “very unusual” decision to send sheriff’s deputies to her office in the courthouse to summon her to explain why she shouldn’t be jailed.
“Any reasonable person could only conclude that Judge Parker-Smith’s bias and prejudice against me, the affected ADAs, and my entire staff would influence her decisions in any criminal case we prosecute before her,” Boston wrote. “There are now serious and legitimate questions about whether her rulings are based solely on the information she learned during a case.”
The Terrell County Board of Education adopted a budget with a 9.3% haircut, according to the Albany Herald.
The Terrell County Board of Education adopted a $13.2 million general fund budget for the coming school year that is 9.3% smaller than last year’s, eliminating a senior administrative position and reducing spending in several instructional support areas while holding nearly $10.8 million in unreserved general fund reserves — enough to cover roughly 10 months of operating expenses.
The board approved the Fiscal Year 2027 budget unanimously during its June 22 meeting in a 4-0 vote. Board member John Gardner was absent. During the same meeting, members approved a Reduction in Force plan eliminating the assistant superintendent for plant operations position and a consultant, adopted new salary schedules and authorized a $35,525 school safety purchase from Centegix.
The district’s May financial statements, approved by the board the same night, show that through 11 months of the fiscal year it had already exceeded several administrative budgets while spending less than one-fifth of what it had budgeted for school safety and security.
General administration expenditures totaled $908,613 against an annual budget of $605,585, or 150% of budget with one month remaining. Three other administrative functions also exceeded their full-year appropriations before the fiscal year ended: Central support services reached 156% of budget, school administration 117% and business administration 110%. Combined, the four functions exceeded their adopted budgets by approximately $634,954.
The Lee County School District pushed back against spending claims, according to WALB.
The Lee County School District disputed what it called “false claims” circulating on social media and in other publications about Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Truitt’s salary, including allegations that she received a $70,000 raise and is seeking an additional $30,000.
Chris Cohilas, legal advisor for Lee County Schools, said the claims are without basis.
“The school superintendent has never received a $70,000 pay raise. That’s just literally false information,” Cohilas said.
Cohilas said Truitt was hired in 2023 and worked a 10-and-a-half-month year that year, meaning she did not receive the full value of her contract. He said she has received modest pay raises since then, consistent with her evaluations, performance and the marketplace.
“What is true is that her contracts have already been approved unanimously at public meetings every single year since 2023. And that’s information that is publicly available to anybody,” Cohilas said.
The district has also requested a retraction from a specific publication it identified as spreading false information, and Cohilas said the district will evaluate next steps if a response is not received.
Some Columbus residents criticized the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office‘s 287(g) agreement with ICE, according to WTVM.
Three Columbus residents spoke out Tuesday at Columbus City Council against the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office’s new 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing concerns about racial profiling and fear in immigrant communities. Sheriff Greg Countryman pushed back, saying the program is aimed at international drug cartels, not undocumented residents.
During the public agenda portion of the meeting, resident Amy Spencer said the “task force” version of the 287(g) program was discontinued in 2012 following documented civil rights violations and racial profiling.
Resident Ric Rivera, who said he was born in the United States, told council the agreement has changed how he views encounters with law enforcement.
“Now I have to treat an encounter with a sheriff’s deputy as if it’s an encounter with ICE,” Rivera said, “and worry that I might be demanded to show proof of citizenship or get detained without cause — or worse, because of what I look like.”
Countryman told council that only eight of his more than 400 employees are enrolled in the program, five in management and three in investigations and that half of those eight are Hispanic.
“The 287(g) program in which we entered into is not what you just heard,” Countryman said. “You will not see the sheriff’s office going out and looking for individuals that are undocumented. We want the worst of the worst.”
Countryman said the sheriff’s office has seized more than $320 million in drugs and more than 1,600 guns and assault rifles over the past six years, and that cartel activity drove the decision to enter the agreement. He described the program as primarily an intelligence-sharing tool with federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA.
“Us entering into this 287(g) program is solely for intelligence,” Countryman said. “It’s not for me to go out here and look for individuals.”
He called the agreement “business as usual” and said the office reports quarterly on undocumented individuals who enter the jail, with that information posted to the sheriff’s website and social media.
Resident Monica Whatley said she reviewed a template of the ICE task force model agreement posted on ICE’s website and found no language related to criminal investigations.
“Based on my read of this agreement, there is not a single power granted that has anything to do with criminal investigations or criminal arrests,” Whatley said. “Not a thing. And please read it for yourself.”
Whatley also read statements from immigrant community members who said they are now afraid to call police or drive to work. She asked council to consider who the agreement protects.
“If this is all about making our community safer, I ask — safer for whom?” Whatley said. “Forgive me for not believing the sheriff when he says nothing is going to change.”
Critics are calling for the full 287(g) agreement to be made public and for translated materials so community members can understand what the agreement means for them.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson defended the use of Flock surveillance cameras, according to WTOC.
Johnson also voiced support for Savannah’s use of Flock cameras and AI-enabled license plate readers that have become a point of debate across Georgia.
Flock cameras capture images of vehicles, storing license plate, make and model data for 30 days before the information is deleted. Investigators can search the data to assist in locating individuals. Savannah currently has more than 100 Flock cameras in operation.
Some residents raised concerns that the cameras invade community privacy and violate Fourth Amendment rights. Law enforcement officers in Georgia have been fired and arrested over misuse of the Flock system.
Johnson referred to the cameras as a useful investigative tool and addressed criticism of the program.
“On one end you can’t say, you know, ‘Keep us safe, do everything that you can to keep us safe,’ and on the other hand say, ‘But wait, we don’t want these cameras,’” Johnson said. “We’ve got cameras outside, we’ve got cameras of people walking up and down the street, you have cameras when you go into the airport, you have cameras when you walk into the stores, I mean, you know, public safety comes at a cost.”
Johnson said the city is committed to thoroughly auditing its use of cameras and data and making that information public. He said the process is underway for launching a Flock transparency portal for the city.
Concerns about the technology increased locally after two former Richmond County deputies were charged with allegedly using the camera system to track people for personal reasons. The accusations involve the alleged misuse of law enforcement access rather than a malfunction of the cameras themselves.
An app called Deflock allows users to view publicly known locations of automated license plate reader cameras and find routes that avoid many of them.
NewsChannel 6 used the app to compare routes from the station’s studios to the Augusta Riverwalk, a distance of about 11 miles. The fastest route took approximately 23 minutes, while the route designed to avoid many of the cameras took about 30 minutes.
While some residents view the cameras as a useful public safety tool, others are concerned about how the information could be used.
“I feel like that just gives them more of a leverage to find people, and not just undocumented people, but people that have documentation, because that’s been happening since this whole presidency started,” Augusta resident Maria Felix said.
Dr. Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the technology is also being used in ways some drivers may not realize.
“For instance, in Georgia, we’ve seen somebody get a ticket for holding a phone while driving, and it is credited to a Flock camera,” Guariglia said.
What happens to the information after it is collected is not the same in every community. How long the data remains available depends on the agreement between Flock Safety and the individual law enforcement agency using the system.
“How long it’s stored is based on your jurisdiction, your town,” Guariglia said. “Your police department creates a contract with Flock. In that contract, they decide how long the data is going to be stored for.”
As more communities install the cameras, many residents say they support the technology when it is used to solve crimes and keep the public safe. At the same time, the Richmond County case has raised questions about what safeguards are in place to prevent authorized users from abusing the system.
Rome City Commissioners discussed a shortage of police officers, according to WRGA News.
Despite a pay raise implemented several years ago, the Rome Police Department is still facing a shortage of officers.
According to Rome City Manager Sammy Rich, the issue isn’t retention; it’s recruitment.
“I’m a big believer that the recruitment is somebody that does that job if they’re happy, and what they do by word of mouth are most likely going to be the best person to go in recruit,” he said. “We continue, you know, this is an ongoing conversation. It’s an ongoing conversation that is happening all over the state with my peers and city and county managers, and so it’s not unique to Rome, Georgia, unfortunately.”
Rich commented on why it’s a challenge to recruit new officers.
“If anybody turns on the evening news, it doesn’t take very long to figure out why it is a very difficult job to work in police,” he said. “I just thank God that we’ve got a very dedicated agency and we’ve got great leadership in our police department, but they get up every day and strap on a uniform.”
The problem used to be officers leaving Rome for other agencies for higher pay.
Just a few years ago, the average starting salary for a Rome Police officer was around $32,000.
The commission then implemented a pay plan that raised that starting pay to more than $54,000.
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