Put nine sheriffs in one room. Then add their command staff, area police chiefs, district attorneys, and federal partners.
What you got was Wednesday’s first-ever CSRA Law Enforcement Leadership Luncheon in Augusta, where more than 75 of the region’s top law enforcement leaders gathered to discuss common challenges in protecting and serving local communities.
Key topics included gang activity, homelessness, mental health, recruitment, jail overcrowding, technology needs, and budget pressures. Representatives attended from Richmond, Columbia, Aiken, Edgefield, Burke, Jefferson, Glascock, Wilkes, and Taliaferro counties.
“This introduces us and puts us all face to face,” said Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland. “We’ve tried this before, but this is the first time I felt confident it will continue.”
The event was hosted by Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley at his agency’s training facility.
“By coming together, we can learn from one another, share experiences, and discuss what’s working in our agencies to solve problems and reduce crime,” Sheriff Brantley said.
He outlined several regional challenges, including struggles to offer competitive salaries, recruit qualified applicants, navigate budget constraints, and modernize technology. Brantley also stressed the importance of cooperation, pointing to recent support from Columbia County Sheriff Clay Whittle’s team, which provided drone assistance during the search for a suspect in the deadly Meadowbrook “Water Boys” shooting.
RCSO Sgt. Kyle Gould led a session on local gangs whose activities cross county and state lines, an issue that both Sheriff Rowland and Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer have seen firsthand.
“We’ve had Richmond County gang-bangers living in our county,” Sheriff Rowland said. “The more intelligence we have on them, the better off we’ll be.”
Sheriff Sawyer added, “We have our own gang unit, and they work together. It’s about sharing resources and information. We can’t do this on our own.”
Natalie Paine was one of the district attorneys who attended the event. She said criminal activity doesn’t recognize jurisdictional lines, which she saw a few weeks ago on a Sunday night.
“I saw Columbia County running lights and sirens into Richmond County to assist and thought to myself that request would have never happened just a year ago,” said Paine, who is Acting District Attorney in Columbia County. “I think it’s a testament to the leadership that Sheriff Brantley has brought to Richmond County. I was very impressed by the turnout and the conversations had.”
Other Columbia County officials said the Intra-agency meeting was a great opportunity to share pertinent information since criminals do not care about county lines or even state boundaries.
Organizers plan to launch a regional law enforcement portal for information sharing, along with a training portal to help agencies coordinate and publicize specialized classes.
Sheriff Rowland said he hopes to hold at least two summits per year, while Richmond County officials are aiming for multiple events annually.
Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams called the summit “groundbreaking” and emphasized the need for interagency collaboration to address gang activity and other crimes that cross jurisdictional lines.
“It’s important for us to be less concerned with borders and more focused on protecting our communities through the sharing of information and intelligence,” Williams said. “We also discussed strategies for addressing homelessness and nuisance issues affecting neighborhoods and businesses.”
Sheriff Sawyer echoed that sentiment, noting his agency already works closely with Richmond County investigators through the ATF RAGE Task Force and his gang unit.
“These summits will only help us improve how we share information and find solutions,” he said. “The main takeaway I have is that we all face the same problems. I think it was a great idea and long overdue.”
