Screven County Sheriff discusses first year in office

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Screven County’s sheriff says it’s been a challenging year but one with important improvements for public safety.

Screven County Sheriff Norman Royal is marking his first year in office. One of the biggest changes, he says, is inside the county’s schools.

“We introduced two SROs to the school system, so now we have one at every school in Screven County,” Royal said.

He says those officers are also part of the county’s new CHAMPS program, teaching students about decision-making, safety and building trust early on.

The sheriff also says they’ve reached a major milestone: full staffing in both the jail and on patrol, something many rural Georgia counties are still struggling with.

“We have a full staff in the jail, full staff on the road as deputies. That’s been an issue across the United States, especially here in Georgia,” he said.

But he says the job hasn’t gotten easier. This year brought an unusual spike in violent crime for a county he describes as normally quiet and tight-knit.

“It seems like this year we just can’t get ahead. Every time we turn around something’s popping up… times are getting tougher, and people are taking different measures to break the law,” Royal said.

Even with more deputies, the department is still behind on technology. Screven is one of few counties in the area without computers in patrol cars, something he’s trying to change with help from county commissioners.

For now, he says deputies are doubling down on visibility, patrolling main roads and dirt roads alike.

“Be seen, be out. Even if it’s a back road in the middle of nowhere. Try to jump on it before a problem arises,” he said.

And while much of the focus is on crime out in the community, the sheriff says another major change happened inside the jail: a long-overdue, $180,000 upgrade to a facility that hadn’t seen major improvements in decades.