Community Relations

Our Purpose

Community Relations is a fundamental part of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office comprehensive approach to protecting and serving the citizens of Henry County. In a county as diverse and multi-faceted as Henry County, community outreach takes many different forms, ranging from Sheriff’s Office driven programs, to public efforts such as community meetings and events, training, and education, both formal and informal.

In all of these efforts, the Community Relations Unit’s goal is to listen, to learn, and to educate, in order to better achieve the overall mission of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

Our Mission

To enhance the relationships between citizens and law enforcement throughout Henry County, Georgia by engaging in various interactive community service initiatives.

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Programs

For over 25 years, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office has been presenting community education programs. The Community Relations Unit has developed a wide range of topics that cover today’s citizens’ issues. Each program is delivered by a deputy who has been trained in crime prevention and program presentation. Along with these programs, the Community Relations Unit conducts public awareness events out in the community. All programs are available to any group upon request. We can also develop plans to accommodate almost any topic. Our goal at the Sheriff’s Office is to help you become more familiar with laws and law enforcement in order to make Henry County a safer place.

Introduced in 2010, this program is intended for children from all backgrounds between the ages of 12 through 14. This 4-day long activity-packed program runs from 8 a.m. and until 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Topics include a variety of fun indoor and outdoor activities but are also packed with safety and security educational-based programs. The purpose is so that when these children are away from home and are faced with difficult decisions in their lives, they will know they can reach out to law enforcement for help or guidance. Applications will be made available up to one month before the start of summer camp and will be accepted in the order they are received.

For over 25 years, McGruff the Crime Dog has been educating kids and teens on safety issues. Today, more than 93% of children recognize McGruff, the trench coat-wearing hound dog. The goal of McGruff is to bring a higher awareness to the fight against crime. McGruff is available for daycares and public awareness events in the community.

In today’s world, even the sanctuary of a place of worship may be a target for criminals. To help congregations learn to identify and deal with a variety of situations this program was created in two parts:

Part 1 – In this introduction, we inform church leaders and committee members of the facts on the safety and security crises at churches throughout the country. This includes potential vulnerabilities and the real consequences of doing nothing.

Part 2 – This section is an on-site evaluation of the potential weaknesses and to assist in the development of security teams and the creation of a Security and Safety Operational Plan. A well-developed plan may save your congregation money in the form of insurance reductions and reduced liability.

Provided documents – As part of the program, the Sheriff’s Office will provide copies of the program to share with your congregation as well as a model Safety and Security plan (in Word format) for your team to modify for your specific property needs.

The purpose of this program is to help businesses educate their employees on how to recognize volatile situations that could lead to violence and how to deal with or diffuse the situation.

This program is designed to make business owners and employees aware of the pitfalls and patterns businesses fall into that criminals look for to prey on them. It is designed to help business owners and employees become more acquainted with other businesses nearby so they can watch out for each other.

This monthly program, held at Heritage Park and Hidden Valley Senior Centers, is designed to educate senior citizens on the scams and schemes that law-enforcement are aware of and help them identify potential financial risk.

NEWS & NOTIFICATIONS

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Event Photos

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Career Fair – we’re hiring

Meet Our Team

Shaquille O’Neal

Chief of Community Relations

Deon Wallace

Community Relations Commander

Chris Prather

Community Relations Manager

Community Relations Team

Shaquille O’Neal

Chief of Community Relations

In his long, varied and well-publicized career in the spotlight, Shaquille O’Neal has consistently supported and embraced law enforcement.  Now, as a resident of Henry County, he is again aligning himself with the local sheriff’s office.

But his role as Chief of Community Relations will be much more than ceremonial, he’s fully committed to bridging the gap between Henry County community and it’s sheriff’s office.

Community Relations Team

Deon Wallace

Community Relations Commander

Deon L. Wallace joined the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in September 2022 as the Commander of Special Investigations and currently serves as the Commander of the Community Relations Unit. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm and brings more than 15 years of law enforcement experience. His background includes service with the Tulsa Police Department, where he served as a S.W.A.T. operator, Basic Law Enforcement Instructor, and part-time recruiter.

In addition to his law enforcement career, Commander Wallace has experience in education, having served as an Assistant Principal at both the middle and high school levels in Richland School District One in Columbia, South Carolina. In this role, he strengthened his leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving capabilities.

Commander Wallace holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Grambling State University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, he currently resides in McDonough, Georgia, with his wife, Christen Wallace.

Community Relations Team

Chris Prather

Community Relations Manager

In January 2021 Chris Prather joined the Henry County Sheriff’s Office as the Community Relations Manager after retiring from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in December 2020 She served as the Criminal Processes Section’s Civilian Manager and the agency’s Terminal Agency Coordinator.  She was responsible for all civilian employees and documentation within the Warrant Unit (approximately 12,500 warrants), Domestic Violence Unit (Protection Orders an evictions), and the Sex Offender Unit (over 1,000 offenders on the registry) and organizing, coordinating, and overseeing all logistics necessary to support the agency’s connection to Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). In addition, she was tasked with training all employees on Security Awareness and facilitating the Criminal Justice Information Systems certification. Moreover, she retired from the United States Naval Reserve after serving 22 years of active and reserve service.  Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Management and an MBA with a concentration in Project Management.

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