One week after Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch was arrested on DUI and related charges, his office announced today that Chief Deputy Kevin Head is now in charge of the day-to-day operation of the office until further notice.
“We understand that the citizens of Hall County may have concerns regarding the operation
of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office following last Friday’s arrest of Sheriff Gerald Couch,” Head said.
“Please be assured that the Hall County Sheriff’s Office continues to operate normally and
remains fully committed to serving our community.”
While the agency operates under the direction of the Sheriff, if he is absent or unable to
perform his duties, command of the office automatically falls to the Chief Deputy.
“In my established role, I already oversee the day-to-day operations of the agency, and I will continue to
ensure there is no disruption to law enforcement services or public safety operations,” Head added.
Because the position of Sheriff is a constitutionally established elected office under Georgia
law, any decision regarding suspension from office falls under the authority of the
Governor and Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has been notified of the sheriff’s arrest.
Moving forward, Head continued “We will not comment on matters related to Sheriff Couch’s personal life, including his health. Any questions regarding those matters should be directed to him.
“Finally, I want to emphasize that other than those personnel required to carry out their
professional duties in this past Friday’s incident, the majority of our deputies, detention
officers and civilian staff of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office had no involvement in this
incident. These men and women continue to report to work each day dedicated to
protecting the citizens of Hall County. I respectfully ask that they be treated with the same
professionalism and respect they show the community and that the actions of one
individual not diminish the integrity and commitment of the entire agency.”