COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
ANNUAL REPORT
2011
Stacey L. Cotton
Chief of Police
Prepared by
Det. Daniel Seals
To the Citizens of Covington,
It is with great pleasure that we present to you the Covington Police Department annual
report for the year 2011. This report is a summary of our activities and efforts that have
occurred throughout the last year. We, at the Covington Police Department, believe
that we should provide this information in order for you to know what your police
department is doing. Of course, we can’t put everything that the department does in
this report because it would take volumes. It is, however, important to summarize the
activities that we feel will mean the most to you.
It is our desire to provide you with effective, efficient, and professional law enforcement
services. In doing so, the Covington Police Department strives to promote excellence in
everything that we do. We are very proud of our department and the men and women
who serve. This report will allow you to see our mission statement, value statement,
officers’ awards, crime summaries, personnel allocations, and accident/traffic
information.
For current information on our department, please visit our website at
www.covingtonpolice.com.
If you have any questions about any of the information contained in this report, please
contact Detective Daniel Seals at 770-385-2144.
Sincerely,
Stacey L. Cotton
Chief of Police
The Philosophy of the Covington Police Department
The philosophy of this department is to be on the cutting edge of providing
effective, efficient and professional law enforcement services every day to the
citizens we serve. We are committed to being aggressive towards new techniques
and ideas applicable to the delivery of law enforcement services and resolved to
take a leadership role in perpetuating those innovative approaches that foster the
ideals of this department.
Effective
Effectively providing police services and protection, equally, without hesitation to
all citizens who are in the community, even to the point of sacrifice of life or limb
in order to maintain the safety, security and welfare of all citizens.
Efficient
The efficient use of allocated resources is of major importance to the department.
It involves the efficient deployment of manpower, the maintenance and care of
equipment and the wise use of time in preventative crime measures, so that the
community is assured that their investment in the department resources is used
in the most efficient manner.
Professional
Professionalism is gained by having a strong commitment toward the personal
development of the men and women who make up the department. This
commitment is to provide the best available training, equipment and up-to-date
knowledge through advanced educational incentive programs, and required
physical fitness conditioning, so that an employee’s relationship with the police
department is not just a mere job, but a career of honor with personal growth
and achievement.
Officers and Staff
Covington Police Department
VALUES STATEMENT
Leadership
We value an environment that fosters the development of leaders at all levels to
identify and resolve issues that face our department and community.
Professionalism
We will be knowledgeable through education, training, and technology to better
serve our citizens and employees. We will present a personal appearance and
demeanor that models a positive image for the Covington Police Department.
Ethics
We are committed to the highest principals of integrity and fairness to maintain
respect and public trust for the citizens we proudly serve.
Honor
We will promote the pride we have in the profession of law enforcement by
acting responsibly, being accountable for our actions, fulfilling our obligations,
and holding others accountable for their actions.
CALLS FOR SERVICE
2011 was another busy year for the police department as calls for service topped
28,000 for the first year in the past 6 years. Calls for service increased by 13.84%
over 2010. However, since 2008, the calls for service have increased 26.15%.
TRAINING HOURS
APPROVED BY
GEORGIA POST COUNCIL
2004 - 2011
Law enforcement is a very dynamic profession and is constantly changing due to
new laws and numerous judicial interpretations by courts in Georgia and around
the country. As police officers, we must always be vigilant by staying abreast of
these changes and interpretations. The rights and privileges of every citizen must
be protected under the United States Constitution. We recognize those rights
and privileges and take protecting them very seriously.
Therefore, officers must always be training to ensure that they do things the right
way. 2011 was another successful year for our police officers as they received
6,369 hours of training.
Georgia Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Council requires that every law
enforcement officer receive a minimum of 20 hours of training per year to
maintain their arrest powers. Collectively, we far surpassed the state’s minimum
requirement. This is indicative of the fact that we place a great deal of
importance on training. This also shows that our officers are more professional
than ever before and continue to improve their skills, knowledge and abilities to
meet the demands they face on a daily basis. In-house training conducted by the
department includes firearms, use of force, radar, laser, less lethal, policies and
procedures, and legal updates.
CAREER TRAINING HOURS
(Through 2011)
Officer Eric Almond
Sgt. Danny Bartello
Officer Justin Blankenship
Sgt. Arvo Bowen
Lt. Philip Bradford
*Officer Audrey Brinson
Officer Jeff Bruno
Lt. Mike Bruno
Sgt. Chris Cain
Officer Brian Capps
Officer April Combs
Officer Stacy Cosby
Chief Stacey Cotton
*Investigator Kevin Cribb
Lt. Paul Dailey
**Captain Willie Davis
Officer Hayward DeRouen
Officer Asher Dozier
Officer Julie English
Evidence Tech Herrion Ervin
*Officer Brandon Farmer
Detective Steve Fowler
Officer Brent Fuesting
Officer Kevin Fuller
Officer Starr Gibbs
Sgt. Chuck Groover
1628
2271
979
2669
1796
730
2494
1932
2270
908
474
1203
2398
1074
1794
2052
672
1578
1470
318
659
1482
1348
946
0
3468
Lt. Mark Jones
Officer Clint Kitchens
Officer Paul Madsen
Captain Ken Malcom
Sgt. Allen Martin
Lt. Al Miller
Evidence Tech Joe Mobley
*Officer Stanley Moore
Officer Annette Munoz
Officer Demetri Myers
Officer Gene Nuqui
Officer Joe Parkin
Sgt. Vic Partee
Officer Ryan Ralston
Officer Jerry Roberts
Officer Grant Satterfield
Officer John Seabolt
Detective D. J. Seals
Investigator Allan Seebaran
Officer Chip Shirah
Officer David Stewart
Sgt. Mike Tinsley
Captain Craig Treadwell
Asst. Chief Almond Turner
Officer Chris Usiak
Lt. Wendell Wagstaff
Officer Anthony Walden
Officer Brandon Wilkerson
Officer Pat Womack
Officer Robert Yarbrough
TOTAL
2304
935
1184
2117
1929
2039
435
1238
1336
559
1765
1689
2488
1930
1467
782
2359
1866
1216
1353
884
2050
3022
1929
1404
2125
1921
766
1764
139
85,608 Hours
Total training hours equal 9.77 years! This total averages out to 1529
hours per officer. An officer works, on average, 2080 hours per year.
Based on that calculation, the total training hours would equate to 41.16
years in work years!
* Left the department during the year
** Retired 04/01/11
INTERNAL AFFAIRS SUMMARY
An annual statistical summary of the internal affairs investigations in 2011 for the
Covington Police Department was conducted. This is pursuant to accreditation
standard 52-1-5.
 There was one internal investigation conducted in 2011.
 On April 6, 2011, deputies with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to
the residence of a Covington Police officer in reference to an altercation between
the CPD officer and his girlfriend. The CPD officers’ girlfriend alleged that during
an argument, the CPD officer choked her and pushed her down on top of a chair
on their back deck. On April 7, 2011, Capt. Craig Treadwell and Lt. AL Miller
were made aware of the incident and started an internal investigation into the
matter. The internal investigation, including interviews of both parties involved
and witness statements, determined that the CPD officer and his girlfriend were
indeed involved in a physical altercation in which both parties received visible,
physical injuries. It was determined that the CPD officer’s actions constituted
conduct unbecoming of an officer. The CPD officer was placed on administrative
leave during the course of this investigation. The CPD officer was eventually
arrested and charged with battery under the family violence act by the Newton
County Sheriff’s officer. The CPD officer resigned from the Covington Police
Department. The criminal charges against the CPD officer were eventually
dismissed.
GRIEVANCES
There were no grievances filed in the year 2011.
2011 AWARDS BANQUET
The 2011 Christmas and Awards Banquet was held on December 12 , 2011 in the
Fellowship Hall at First Baptist Church of Covington. The banquet was catered by
Bradley’s Bar-B-Que Restaurant.
The following awards were presented to employees:
Rookie of the Year
Officer April Combs
Officer of the Year
Officer Kevin Fuller
Employee of the Year - Patrol
Officer Hayward DeRouen
Employee of the Year - CID
Lt. Paul Dailey
Employee of the Year – Support
Services/Community Outreach
Cheryl Vaughn
Departmental Commendations
Lt. Mike Tinsley
Lt. Wendell Wagstaff
Officer Justin Blankenship
Physical Fitness Awards
Officer Jeff Bruno – 3.0 Twice
Officer Paul Madsen – 3.0 Twice
Officer Gene Nuqui – 3.0 Twice
Officer Kevin Cribb – 3.0 Once
Sgt. Allen Martin – 3.0 Once
Sgt. Ryan Ralston – 3.0 Once
Firearms Awards
Top Gun
Sgt. Allen Martin
Highest Average
Sgt. Danny Bartello
100% Club
Officer Allan Seebaran
Officer Julie English
Part One Crimes
Traffic
TOP ACCIDENT CAUSATIONS FOR 2011
Following Too Close
Improper Backing
Failure to Yield
Improper Lane Change
Lost Control
Animal or Object
Too Fast For Conditions
DUI Related
Traffic Control Device
196
139
186
45
32
24
24
23
17
Traffic (con’t)
TOP MOVING/NON-MOVING VIOLATIONS FOR 2011
Violation Type
Speeding*
Following Too Close
Failure To Yield
DUI
Stop Sign
Seatbelt Violation
Suspended License
No Proof of Insurance
Red Light
No License
*Includes Construction Zone violations
Citations Issued
742
112
135
113
78
210
74
66
64
54
COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
2011 Statistics on College Degrees
 62 total employees (52 sworn, 10 civilian)
 59 degrees earned among 34 employees
 55% of all employees have at least one degree
 58% of all sworn officers have at least one degree
 20 employees have two or more degrees (32%)
 5 employees have three degrees (8%)
 1 employee has four degrees
 2 employees have two Masters degrees
 12 Associate degrees
 29 Bachelor degrees
 18 Masters degrees
 22 employees have earned a total of 36 degrees while working for CPD