Georgia Department of Agriculture Reforms Law Enforcement Division |

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Agriculture has regained its law enforcement status more than a decade after the agency’s law enforcement division was disbanded.

Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper has named 29-year law enforcement and emergency management veteran Harlan Proveaux to head the newly formed department. Proveaux will serve the agency’s Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Management as both director and inspector general.

Prior to joining the Agriculture Department, Proveaux served as deputy director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for seven years. He has also worked for several other state and local agencies, including the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, the state Department of Natural Resources and the Ware County Sheriff’s Office.

“Director Proveaux brings decades of experience in law enforcement and emergency management, and he has my full support and confidence as we work together to rebuild and restore this important division within the department,” Harper said.

The reconstituted law enforcement division in Harper’s department will assist local, state and federal authorities in a wide range of investigations, from animal cruelty to labor and drug trafficking to agricultural terrorism, while also working to improve security at state farmers markets throughout the state of Georgia .

The emergency management aspect of the department will work to respond more quickly and effectively to animal diseases and natural disasters.