– Thursday, May 9, 2024 –
Good morning. Election promises and misinformation are in full swing as we approach the May 21 primary election in Georgia. This week’s public safety newsletter has stories on a major policy announcement by a Chatham County sheriff candidate and mudslinging over a retired K-9 in Liberty County. Plus, we report on a law passed by a U.S. senator for Georgia meant to better protect children online.
Questions, comments or story ideas? You can reach me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.
ELECTIONS: CHATHAM COUNTY
A Democratic candidate for Chatham County sheriff said if elected he would bring back in-person visitation to people in the county jail.
Aside from one free virtual visit a week, families currently have to pay $8 for a 20-minute video call with loved ones detained and awaiting trial at the Chatham County Detention Center.
This practice came to light from a 2023 investigation by The Current, which found that Coastal Georgia jails — including Chatham County — restricted in-person visitation during Covid and then increased revenues by charging fees for phone calls, text messages and video meetings.
The policy platform announced by Democratic candidate Richard Coleman this week came at a League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia forum. Coleman is running against another candidate, Kevin Burns, for the Democratic nomination on May 21. The winner takes on Republican incumbent Chatham County Sheriff John Wilcher in the November general election.
ELECTIONS: LIBERTY COUNTY
Dog-gone election fight
A retired Liberty County Sheriff’s Office police dog, named Kona, has been at the center of an election controversy in the heated race for Liberty County sheriff.
Retired K-9 Kona was dropped off at the county animal shelter last week by his deputy handler, who reportedly said he was unable to provide Kona the care she needed now that he was provided a new K-9. Kona was found a new home within a day.
But the female Dutch Shepherd soon became the subject of election disinformation — social media users claimed she was a casualty of K-9 unit being shut down by Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman and that Kona was dropped off in poor shape by her handler. The Current spoke with the sheriff’s office and the animal shelter to try to fact-check these claims.
Read here to find out what we learned and how Kona fits into the hotly contested sheriff race.
LAW
Online child safety bill becomes law
A bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was signed into law this week, expanding reporting requirements in cases of online child sexual exploitation.
President Joe Biden signed the REPORT Act on Tuesday, which requires internet service providers, social media platforms and cloud service companies to report instances of child sex trafficking or prostitution to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It also lengthens the amount of time the companies have to store reports of these incidents, from 90 days to one year after submission.
The law also increases criminal financial penalties for individuals at these companies who fail to report the online sexual exploitation of children when they learn about it.
“Children get online and it’s the Wild West. And there are bad people lurking on the internet who want to prey on children,” Ossoff said in a social media clip of an interview he did.
The law is expected to increase the amount of submissions related to online child sex trafficking to NCMEC, more successful criminal prosecutions and increased fine payments by individuals and companies, according to a 2023 Congressional Budget Office analysis.
Chatham sheriff candidate pledges to resume in-person visits with loved ones in jail
Democratic candidate for Chatham County sheriff suggested current policy prohibiting in-person visits to jail is dehumanizing, said he would reinstate the practice.
Who’s got a dog in Liberty’s sheriff election fight?
Election misinformation in Coastal Georgia runs wild after retired sheriff department tK-9 Kona surrendered at the Liberty County shelter.
Target sues Liberty County Industrial Authority over purchase agreement
The dispute seems to stem from two main concerns. One was whether or not Target owed any ad valorem taxes; the other, a series of mishaps unrelated to the deal that affected communication between the parties.
Battle over private dock on Cumberland Island heads back to court
The Center for a Sustainable Coast argues more public review is needed for a private dock at the national seashore.
Kemp vetoes bill suspending data centers tax break
Representatives of the data center industry also maintained that cutting off the tax break would send the wrong message to corporate prospects, making them likely to take their business to states that offer the sales tax exemption.
Doctors plead with Congress to help improve U.S. maternal mortality rates
Doctors urged Congress to pass legislation addressing the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality throughout the country and to lower barriers that have hindered people of color from becoming medical professionals.
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