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Meet James

• Married to Michelle for 25 years, father to four children, grandfather to one granddaughter
• Born and raised in Oconee County
• 8th generation member of Antioch Christian Church
• Army veteran
• Over 25 years of law enforcement experience, of which 24 years are with the Oconee
County Sheriff’s Office
• Currently serves as the elected Sheriff of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office
• 27-year Oconee County volunteer firefighter
• Trained EMT
• FBI National Academy graduate

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About
Plan
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Sheriff Hale's Plan

1) Continue providing deputies with medical and fire safety training

 

People oftentimes forget that our men and women in law enforcement are typically the first-first responders on the scene of an accident or fire. It seems simple, but in situations where minutes mean the difference between life and death, cross-training saves lives.  Since my time as Sheriff, we have encouraged deputies to participate in the Oconee County Fire Rescue First Responder training, and several have completed their EMR or EMT certifications.

2) Continue to strengthen our relationship with local schools to keep our kids safe

 

We are blessed to live in a safe county to raise a family, but we should never take that for granted. We will continue to build on the strong relationship we have with Oconee County School System and will continue to work with them to adapt to meet their needs and the needs of our students. During my tenure as Sheriff, we have increased our Patrol Zones from three to six to ensure that there is always a Deputy close by, as well as performing regular patrolling of the campuses during school hours. I also worked closely with the Oconee County School System to implement the School Crisis Alert System.

3) Responsibly and respectfully spend taxpayer dollars

 

I believe we can serve our community with excellence by always remembering that we are hired and paid for by YOU the citizens of Oconee County. As Sheriff, I will always spend your tax dollars respectfully and responsibly. Our office will ALWAYS strive to stay under budget.

under Sheriff Hale's leadership

the oconee Sheriff's office has...

  • Used ballistic evidence technology to solve a high-profile murder case

  • Trained and certified every deputy in mental health training

  • Increased school patrols and deputies patrolling proximity

  • Collaborated with the school system to increase security

  • Developed teams of counselors, deputies, school administrators, and others to identify at-risk children 

  • Increased every Sheriff's Office employee's salary

  • Continued working towards making deputies' salaries more competitive

Sheriff Hale's training

  • Narcotics and Gang Investigation

  • Bombs and Explosives

  • Strategic Planning

  • Crime Scene Management for First Responding Officers

  • Precision Immobilization Technique

  • Human Trafficking

  • Fostering Positive Community Relations

  • Active Shooter Incident Management

  • Crisis Management for School-Based Incident 

  • Interpersonal Relations

  • Search Procedures for Wanted & Missing Persons

  • Fire/Arson Investigation Level 2

  • Active Shooter Response

  • Interviews and Interrogations

Officer certifications

Officer certifications

Instructor certifications

  • Senior Deputy Certification

  • Supervisory Certificate

  • Arson Investigator

  • Radar Operator

  • Firearms

  • Emergency Medical

  • General 

Contact
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