BEFORE THE HIGHER COURTS OF THE GEORGIA COUNT OF DOUGHERTY REGARDING: MARCH-VALUE TIME GRAND JURY PRESENTATION RULES The Grand Jury finished its service today and is delivering its written and oral submissions in open session. The same must be filed by the court clerk and published in the judicial organ as required by state law. So arranged, on this 3rd day of May 2023. WIR Lockette Judge of the Supreme Court Dougherty Judicial Circuit DOUGHERTY COUNTY GRAND JURY PRESENTATION MARCH 2023 To: The Honorable Willie E. Lockette The Honorable Denise Marshall The Honorable Victoria S. Darrisaw (Judges of (The Supreme Court) The Grand Jury would like to thank the District Attorney Gregory W. Edwards and his staff for the high level of professionalism and respect they have shown throughout the time we have been under their care.Beyond We commend the District Attorney for enlightening us on the various crimes in our community and the laws to be enforced on those matters.We commend the District Attorney’s Office and Court Clerk for their hard work and dedication in preparing the cases for the Grand Jurors The policies and procedures implemented at the courthouse related to the COVID precautions were followed without issue. We would like to thank everyone responsible for providing a safe and clean operating environment for the Grand Jury Duty service. In addition, we thank the Albany Police Department, the Dougherty County Police Department, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit, and especially ADDU Investigator JD McCray for providing us with information on drugs in this area. Our thanks go to these and other special employees for their hard work and dedication to the citizens of Albany and Dougherty County. This grand jury appreciates the attention and help of our bailiffs: Bailiffs Emmett Williams and Bailiffs Mike White. We also thank Corporal Irene Christian, Albany Police Department, and Patricia Godwin and Evan Brown, Aspire Behavioral Health, for providing information on the REACH (Responding, Engaging, and Cultivating Hope) Co-Response Team. The grand jury was presented with 69 indictments, 66 were returned as genuine bills, and there were 3 no indictments. A further 29 people were charged by the District Attorney. The Grand Jury makes the following recommendations: We recommend the implementation of a “Big Brothers Big Sisters” program. If such a program is already in use, we recommend expanding the program and using it more frequently. We recommend that city and county governments increase proactive and collaborative efforts, including working with private companies and investors, to bring more family-oriented entertainment and physical activities to the City of Albany, such as a water park, adventure theme park, and sky zone, ice rinks , sports fields, etc. Other private companies that could be drawn to Albany and provide day trips for families and children are Dave & Busters and Urban Air. The grand jury believes these family-focused activities will help generate more jobs for youth and college students, as well as broader revenues to support public safety costs such as B. Providing law enforcement with competitive salaries and sourcing drones, cameras and other technical assistance to eliminate high crime areas. We recommend further revitalization efforts in downtown Albany, including a review of any existing policies that may prevent businesses from coming downtown. We recommend focusing on activities and businesses such as concerts and other entertainment, dining and shopping. We also believe that murals painted on buildings (e.g., on South Washington Street) would improve the aesthetics of the downtown area and attract businesses and consumers to the area. Faith organizations and law enforcement officials are working together on a three to five year strategic plan to combat of homelessness, transients and drug addicts. We recommend the implementation of educational programs that encourage parental involvement and focus on issues such as fostering a two-person home and teaching finance, commerce, and home economics at the high school level. We recommend that law enforcement officers and first responders receive an additional paid week of mental health days during each 365-day period. We are recommending a substantial salary increase for all first responders receiving the City of Albany and Dougherty County. We also recommend introducing stricter physical fitness requirements for all first responders, regardless of their current role within the agency, with the recommendation that annual physical examinations be required to ensure all first responders remain physically fit. We recommend that the city government take additional measures to maintain sidewalks, vacancies, alleys, parking lots, and potholes along Jefferson Street and Pine Avenue, and all potholes throughout the city generally. We recommend demolishing, maintaining or renovating vacant buildings to attract future businesses. We strongly recommend a moratorium on building malls, mega discounters, dollar stores and like-minded businesses. Instead, we recommend building more family-oriented restaurants and grocery stores, and capitalizing on home-shopping malls. We also recommend a complete overhaul of the Albany Mall concept to create an outdoor shopping complex instead. . We recommend updates to internet technology available in the Albany – Dougherty County area as some areas still have no internet service or have “dead zones”. We recommend providing a wider choice of ISPs for the region. We strongly recommend creating strong incentives such as tax breaks to bring industry to the Albany area. We strongly recommend competitive healthcare for the Albany-Dougherty County area by striving to provide more than one hospital provider. Submitted with respect May 3, 2023. 1- Rebekah Lynn Burgess – Foreman 2. Philippa Mary Wilson – Assistant Foreman 3. Lisa Ann Drake – Secretary 4. Shandrell D. Carter 5. Christina Y. Laura Rogers 6. ,Larry Paul Jackson 7. Rebecca A. Kendrick 8. Briana S. Cuyler 9. Quantayivius M. Davis 10. John W. Harvey III 1 1. Lexi Amani Bien-Aime i2. Johnathan C Moag 13 Natalie K Lash 14 Samuel James Smith Jr 15 Christopher Carol Alderman Jr 16 Samuel Burston Medlock 17 Quinetta Lynn 18 Hannah Grace Kavanaugh 19 Jasmine N Witchard 20 Andrico D Carter Jr. 21. Sonya D. Walker 22.R. Calvin Thomton Prize 23. Jacquelyn Trent
