GA Department of Ag Regains Status as Law Enforcement Agency

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

On Monday, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced that the Georgia Department of Agriculture has successfully regained its status as a Law Enforcement agency. Commissioner Harper has tapped Harlan Proveaux, a twenty-nine-year law enforcement and emergency management veteran with experience across multiple state and local agencies, to serve as the Department's new Inspector General and Director of the Department's Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Division.

The Department has historically operated with a law enforcement capacity; however, the Department's Law Enforcement Division was disbanded in 2013 by the prior administration.

So what exactly does this mean?

According to a press release from the Department of Agriculture, restoring the Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Division will enable them to better serve farmers, producers, and consumers across Georgia. Officers will assist local, state, and federal agencies with a wide range of investigations from Animal Cruelty to Labor and Drug Trafficking to Agro-Terrorism, while also working to improve safety and security at the State Farmers Markets. At the same time, they say it will allow the Department to respond more efficiently, effectively, and rapidly in the event of a natural disaster, severe weather event, or animal disease outbreak.