Sheriff Warren Brings Home Top Honor

Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren has been named Georgia’s Sheriff of the Year by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Warren earned the award through his professionalism, character, and service to the community, Association Executive Director Terry Norris told the AJC.

Despite the award, Warren has made his fair share of adversaries. Warren’s controversial program which taught deputies to identify illegal immigrants while in lockup and then refer them to immigration for deportation drew the ire of immigrant advocacy organizations.

The program came to a head during 2010, when Kennesaw State University student and illegal immigrant Jessica Colotl was threatened with deportation following an arrest for driving without a license. Despite getting an extension from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Colotl was again arrested for falsifying information on her jail booking sheet. The charges were later dropped.

The Georgia Sheriff’s Association’s membership comprises of all 159 county sheriffs in the state, and seeks to, “to promote and further professionalize the Office of Sheriff in order to enhance public safety throughout Georgia,” according to their website.