March Chamber Luncheon hosts panel discussion on crime trends

Paulding Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion last week in Dallas on crime trends at the March Chamber Luncheon. The three-member panel included Paulding District Attorney Dick Donovan, Paulding Sheriff Gary Gulledge and Linda Verscharen, director Family Alliance of Paulding.
Last week’s topic for panel members was future trends of crime in Paulding County and how it pertains to businesses and residents as well as the proactive steps being taken by our community leaders to ensure economic vitality and a vibrant quality of life.
Underlying most topics of drug use and criminal activity was involvement of teens and young adults, but not limited to that segment of the population.
And not all the discussion remained sober in tone. Asked what his biggest obstacle in Paulding was, Sheriff Gulledge quickly quipped back: “crime.”
Panel participants all urged Paulding business leaders to get involved in the life of a child and make a difference. In terms of parenting, both Verscharen and Gulledge advised that kids need their parents to be parents and to provide guidance.
“Parents should be parents. You can be their friend when they’ve become adults,” Sheriff Gulledge said.
Drugs such as meth-amphetamines and heroin have become big problems that can touch virtually anyone, Verscharen said. “It’s really easy these days for people who have been on prescription drugs to then turn to heroin, regular everyday people,” she said.
And Donovan during his opening remarks told Paulding business leaders that if anyone is convinced Paulding is without gangs, that notion is false, and unfortunately there is gang activity in every Paulding high school, with the average age being about 17, he said.
“By the time they get a little older they’re either dead or in jail and that’s not a joke,” Donovan said.
Donovan also touched on legal gambling and warned that the A-B- C’s of problems linked to casino gambling are Addiction, Bankruptcy and Crime. Crime is linked to the cash-only aspect that makes gambling a favorable money-laundering opportunity, he said. “If you want casino gambling in the county, count on organized crime coming in right behind it,” Donovan said.
Sheriff Gulledge also stressed that the county needs to hear from the public regarding hiring and retention of deputies in the county.
“It’s not a good time [all over the state] to be in law enforcement. Right now we’re carrying 17 vacancies in our department,” he said. Gulledge said that pay and benefits are not up to par locally and the problem is not being confronted by state lawmakers and will have to be addressed at the local level. He urged business leaders and the public to send a message to local officials.
“Starting pay rate for a Paulding deputy is 30 percent behind what Georgia State Patrol officers earn,” he said.
Verscharen summarized last week’s discussion to answer an audience question ‘What can we do to best help you guys?’
“The biggest thing that I can think of is, if you don’t have kids of your own, is to find some way to get involved in a kids life...that kid that lives down the street and their parents work in Atlanta that is unsupervised...stay engaged, stay involved, mentor, find some way to work with our youth, and get educated so you know how to have that engagement, get involved in your church or join a civic organization that works with kids,” Verscharen said.

Paulding Chamber of Commerce hosted a three-member panel discussion last week in Dallas on crime trends at the March Chamber Luncheon that included (seated left to right): Linda Verscharen, director Family Alliance of Paulding, Panel Moderator Paulding Judge David Lyles,Paulding District Attorney Dick Donovan and Paulding Sheriff Gary Gulledge (at podium) (Photo: R. Grant)
2.(Left to Right) Paulding Sheriff Gary Gulledge, Linda Verscharen, director Family Alliance of Paulding, Paulding District Attorney Dick Donovan and Chamber President Stacy Hamby at last week's event in Dallas. (Photo: R. Grant)