Two recent moves by the Winder Police Department can only be viewed as positive as chief Dennis Dorsey and his staff continue to combat crime and other issues within the city.
The first move actually occurred several months ago but already it has paid dividends. The addition of Joey Lovinggood as code enforcement officer shows city officials, as well as the WPD, are serious about property maintenance as we move into 2013 and the response I’ve heard from several people has been “it’s about time.”
Already Lovinggood has made a solid impact in holding property owners responsible. No free passes will be given anymore. Yes, there are still numerous areas within Winder that need work, but Lovinggood is making progress with each day. One reader relayed a call he made to code enforcement and the result which came from it.
“I called Officer Lovinggood on a Friday and left a message about a vacant property in my subdivision,” the reader said. “By the time I went home that afternoon, the grass on the property had already been cut and work was being done to improve it all. I couldn’t believe action was taken that quickly.”
Lovinggood told me he was already familiar with the owner of the property in question and in that case it became easier for quick action.
The second move by the WPD came just last week with the hiring of Jim Fullington as the department’s second in command. Fullington, who has worked as the special agent in charge of the Athens office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, will have the rank of major for the WPD.
His years of experience with the types of crimes handled by the GBI can only benefit the WPD as a whole as well as the citizens it serves. While no one likes to admit it, there is an ongoing crime problem within Winder and Barrow County. There are many elements to it ranging from a cycle of family poverty, the downturn in the economy, low-wage jobs, lack of education and, of course, drugs.
In his role with the GBI, there are probably few things Fullington hasn’t had to encounter and deal with on a daily basis. The scope of his law enforcement background will benefit the makeup of the department.
Credit must go to Dorsey for wanting to bring Fullington on board. It’s wise to have that level of experience within WPD and Dorsey and city officials deserve kudos for making it happen.
Improving the makeup of a city, even one the size of Winder, is not an overnight process. However, certain small steps have to be taken before you can run. The additions of Lovinggood and Fullington to the WPD are two of those steps. They are different but both should prove to be equally effective in the long run.
For those who reside within Winder, these recent steps by Dorsey and city officials show they are serious about tackling the crime problem here. A run-down property may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things but it all goes back to the mentality of a community. If all one sees is decaying buildings, overgrown lots and vacant houses with smashed windows, then it takes a toll mentally.
Having men such as Lovinggood and Fullington in place will no doubt help in the ongoing process of improving Winder. They will be tackling different areas, but both are important in their own right. It will be interesting to see how much improvement is made during the next 12 months.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
I am sure I will see plenty of "hate mail" posted below this post, but sometimes we need to recognize when things are positive too.
The department needs the community and vice versa, so I hope Dorsey will keep working on his people to be even more responsive to the citizens. What happens in Winder & Barrow has alot to to do with US as citizens, WE need to help our community grow and proper, electing the right people yes, but personally getting involved too.