Stephens County Sheriff’s Office Awarded Georgia Gang Activity Prosecution Grant

PRESS RELEASE – The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, has been awarded the Gang Activity Prosecution (GAP) Grant to enhance efforts in identifying and prosecuting gang members in the local community.

“The $70,000 grant was appropriated by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) in the FY25 State of Georgia budget,” says Sheriff Randy Shirley. “The GAP Grant is part of a competitive state initiative to strengthen gang activity prosecutions across Georgia.”

With the awarded funds, the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office have been establishing a comprehensive local database of gang members and associates. This resource will be shared among our partnering agencies (federal, state, and local) facilitating a cohesive approach to tracking gang activities, and connecting individuals to specific crimes.

This database is expected to be a critical tool in creating the necessary links between gang affiliations, members, and criminal activities, that will ultimately contribute in making our county – as well as northeast Georgia communities – safer.

For more information on this initiative or the GAP Grant, contact Captain Stephen Stewart at the Sheriff’s Office or Chief ADA Suzanne Boykin at the DA’s Office.