Sandy Springs Honors Capt. Steve Rose With Proclamation

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul on Tuesday commended retired police Capt. Steve Rose for his decades of service to the city with a proclamation. The proclamation, which designated June 5 as Steve Rose Day in Sandy Springs, honored the officer for his work, which spanned from the days when the area was served by the Fulton County Police Department to the 12-year-old Sandy Springs Police Department.

Rose, who announced last month he would be retiring from the position of night commander for the agency, has taken over the civilian position as volunteer coordinator of the Police Department, which also includes overseeing the Citizens On Patrol unit. Rose will take over the post on a part-time basis.

He accepted the proclamation, which was read at the June 5 City Council meeting, on behalf of the thousands of law enforcement officers across the country and his wife, Sandy Rose, who retired as a detective with the Sandy Springs Police Department.

"She shies away from any acknowledgment, but deserves (it) much more than I do," he said.

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Rose joined Sandy Springs police after a 26-year career with the Fulton County Police Department. During his last six years with the county, he was assigned to the Sandy Springs precinct where he was tasked with developing and expanding community outreach and crime prevention. He retired from Fulton County police and joined the newly formed Sandy Springs Police Department in 2006.

Rose used the bulk of his time honoring his wife, who spent 25 years hunting down and arresting violent sexual predators and advocating for victims and their families throughout the criminal justice process. For example, former Detective Rose stepped up to the plate and suggested the family would adopt the 14-year-old girl who was orphaned in a 2014 murder-suicide at a home off Dunwoody Club Drive. Rose said the teen was eventually taken in by a relative, but his wife's mission to look after the child was a shining example of her dedication to her profession.

He also noted his wife helped prosecutors track down and bring to justice Kelly Thrasher, a former doctor who is serving a 25-year sentence on child sexual exploitation charges. Thrasher in late October 2014 pleaded guilty to child molestation and aggravated sexual battery charges in Fulton County Superior Court and was sentenced to 25 years. He also pleaded guilty to four additional counts of child sexual exploitation in DeKalb County and was given a 20-year sentence to serve.

“There are very few people (who are) at that level of commitment," he said.

Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone previously told Patch that Rose has been "instrumental in the success" of the police department and is a critical asset of the agency's partnerships with the community. He began building that bridge with the public in 1984 as the crime prevention officer in Sandy Springs for Fulton County police. In 2001, he launched the neighborhood watch program, which now has 80 Sandy Springs neighborhoods participating.

Sandy Springs police will promote Sgt. Andrews Spears will be promoted to the rank of captain on May 31 and will become the next night commander. Along with community programs, Rose once served as the agency's public information officer and has published a book, "Why Do My Mystic Journeys Always Lead to a Waffle House."

Most recently, he's served as the voice of the Weekly Wrap Up, a compilation of notable police incident reports that also include blunt, yet humorous, advice about crime in the city.

Photo: Mayor Rusty Paul, left, and Steve Rose, a retired police captain who is now the Sandy Springs Police Department's volunteer coordinator. Credit: city of Sandy Springs