Next steps will be to get, train Polk agents to serve

A change is coming in the way that Polk County’s law enforcement agencies will be fighting the drug problem as the effort to team up with neighbors has finally been approved.

There’s still a Memorandum of Understanding to sign between the County, Cities and the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force, but the HPDTF Board decided during a May 24 meeting to accept Polk County into the fold of the organization.

Commander Steven Sweatt, head of the neighboring Task Force that Polk County will soon become apart, said his agents are looking forward to having some new hands from local agencies join the HPDTF.

“I believe it’ll be a good thing for all three counties,” he said. He pointed out that with increased drug activity transferring across county lines in this portion of Northwest Georgia, the partnership makes sense to work together and gain intelligence that helps each county fight the problem overall.

The first step for Polk to join the new Task Force (which will get a rename, what that will be is to be decided per Sweatt) is for potential agents already serving as police officers to apply to serve. Sweatt said the applicants will go through a selection process, and after a round of classes and field training in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation-led program, then they’ll get put to work with the newly combined Drug Task Force.

The news comes as a step forward in a new direction for Polk County overall after the County Commission proposed and approved the change back in late March. The Cities of Rockmart and Cedartown also voted via the City Council and Commission respectively to also join in April and May.

County Manager Matt Denton said the county is excited to move forward in the process.

“We are committed 100% toward this new partnership that will allow us to gain valuable resources and training our officers need at the local level to combat the ongoing drug problem in our county,” he said. “We look forward to working with our neighbors.”