One more step was taken on Tuesday night toward a new multi-county Drug Task Force headed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation during the Rockmart City Council meeting.

The council took a unanimous vote on Tuesday during their April regular session to ‘explore’ joining the County in the move toward the combined efforts of the Haralson and Paulding agency. Specifically, they voted to approve “The further explanation of the option of joining the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force.”

Joining the agency with neighboring counties will be contingent upon their DTF Control Board voting to accept Polk County and the participating agencies. Ahead of the vote, City Manager Stacey Smith explained the process began around conversations with officials in recent months over what direction the Polk County Drug Task Force should pursue in the future.

“From that point, we started discussing with them ‘can we join, what are the benefits of joining, what will be the cost to the county and cities and all the entities involved if we join?’” Smith said. The conversation ahead of the vote was ultimately centered around where Rockmart’s law enforcement stands on the subject.

Police Chief Randy Turner told the council plainly that two options were on the table following the County Commission’s decision in late March. The city can either go it alone without the help of the new Task Force, or join up and get access to valuable resources with the GBI-led effort that Polk County voted to seek out.

“I didn’t want to feel like we were losing services for our city and our citizens, and I didn’t want our officers to be somewhere else,” Turner said. “It is our understanding in all of the meetings we’ve had – that what we currently is possibly going away anyways. Other people have already done their part on it, so that part may go away.”

Turner explained further that option one of an officer assigned working drug cases alone and without the resources the Task Force had, or join the larger agency with more and better training, resources and information-sharing between the counties within the existing agency operating to the east and south of Polk County.

He noted to the council before their vote and emphasized that officers who apply and are accepted will go through a training period, but all will be working mainly out of Polk County – though some time will be required outside of the county for meetings, paperwork, additional training with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or when the multi-agency group need backup during major operations within Paulding or Haralson.

WATCH: Rockmart City Council Meeting from April 11, 2023

“They can work remotely through the GBI system, and they’ll have GBI-led supervision and training,” Turner noted. “But they will also have resources when they do a larger operation here in Polk County, since Paulding and Haralson can come here to assist, and vice versa. Occasionally our officers will have to go over and help them as well.”

He additionally pointed out that with GBI training for the officer selected to work with the Drug Task Force and being sworn in under the agency, it means the likelihood of further career advancement for participants.

Councilmember Rick Stone said the choice seemed clear to him as well, to seek to join the Drug Task Force effort.

“It sounds like a win-win for us as far as the Public Safety committee is concerned,” Stone said.

That hinges on the combined GBI-headed Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force accepting a memorandum of understanding with Polk County to come on board with a multi-county agency. A quarterly meeting for their control board to determine that outcome is expected in May.

The council’s vote on Tuesday night was a clear signal they wish to push forward with efforts to join the combined Drug Task Force. The unanimous vote came as a recommendation from the Council’s Public Safety committee.

Rockmart’s decision to move forward with the new plan comes in the weeks after the county held a special-called session near the end of March to announce their plans and vote to approve moving forward to rejoin Haralson and Paulding County’s Drug Task Force.

The current Drug Task Force still operating includes officers from the Cedartown Police, Rockmart Police, Polk County Police and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Cedartown did not make any vote during their April regular session on Monday, April 10 or during a special session on April 3.