Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Nearly 70 Participate in Course

FORSYTH, Ga. –  On December 16, the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) hosted the Annual STG Training for more than 65 sergeants and others from outside agencies. The STG Unit’s main goal is to stop violent incidents before they happen by gathering relevant intelligence and communicating with gang leaders and members. As of this year, there are approximately 15,000 validated offenders from various gangs within GDC facilities.

In 2019, it was reported that GDC performed 2,900 shakedowns and completed 5,000 STG related interviews. In addition, more than 50 STG personnel completed 40 hours of the basic course, which included the following topics: Gang Identification, Validation Process/Practical, Ethics, Report Writing, Interviews, Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center/Joint Terrorism Task Force Overview, Identity Reformation, and Evidence Preservation.

“Gangs are a growing problem in Georgia and the STG Unit is working hard everyday to identify offenders who are participating in gang related activity,” says GDC Commissioner, Timothy C. Ward. “Our unit is helping to make the state of Georgia safer by linking offenders involved in gangs to criminal activity, even outside our facilities.”

The Annual STG Training for 2019 covered the following subjects: Gangs in South Georgia, Gangs in Albany, Gangs in Sea Port (Savannah), as well as Gangs and Hip Hop Culture. Investigators from outside agencies came to GDC to discuss identifiers of each gang in different areas of Georgia. Many of the STG staff were also recognized for their hard work and dedication with annual awards for categories such as Most Improved, STG Coordinators Award, Above and Beyond, and STG Officer of the Year.

Check out STG Unit for more information.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit http://www.gdc.georgia.gov

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