HISTORY OF THE POAG  

 “----to help and support and be a continuous fighter and worker for the wives, widows and orphans of fellow officers----to help promote cooperation, goodwill and love among the various police agencies throughout the State and to work in the interest of all peace officers, their families, wives and widows.”  Thus was stated the early goals of the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia.  The records of POAG activity prior to 1950 are sketchy, and much of what is known about the association was garnered from newspaper articles and personal recollection from that era.  There are numerous references to events of the organization that establish its history back to 1900.

At the 1950 convention in Atlanta, keynote speaker Governor Herman Talmadge acknowledged the efforts made by the POAG, which then was no more than a loose knit confederation of sheriffs and police chiefs around the state.  He referred to a 1941 convention of peace officers meeting in Valdosta, stating, and since that time, there has been only one association in Georgia working with and for all the arresting officers of this state in union for the common good of all.  Governor Talmadge went on to say, As I told your annual meeting last year, my boyhood recollection of how the hat had to be passed to “bury good old Bill” when he had been shot down making an arrest in the dead of night had made a profound impression on me.  At that meeting, I pledged to you that my administration would write your pension bill on the statue books of the State of Georgia.  His promise was good, and after praising the group’s eleven year effort to establish a pension fund to provide for widows and orphans of deceased policemen, presented the first benefit check to Mrs. Sarah L. Smith.  That pension fund was later incorporated in Georgia as The Peace Officers Annuity and Benefit Fund, and as of its entry to the 21^st century, their assets are more than three hundred and sixty-one million dollars.  To recognize their efforts in forming the fund, POAG members were automatically included in the POA&B Committee of Directors until 1983.  At that time, the state attorney general ruled that no private organization had the right to have direct control over public monies.  His ruling was as a result of a lawsuit brought by a group of doctors that had challenged a similar situation concerning a medical board.  In reviewing all state appointed boards, the attorney general apparently concluded that POAG’s automatic inclusion on the POA&B board constituted “direct control”.   Since that ruling, the Annuity and Benefit Committee members are appointed by the Governor, with three peace officer members serving three staggered terms, each representing city, county, and state law enforcement organizations.  Each year the POAG Executive Board submits the names of three candidates for the single position that is expiring, and the governor makes the appointment.

After operating for a half century without formal recognition, the organization became incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia on September 21, 1953 as “The Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia, Inc.”  The By-Laws and Constitution were amended on October 14, 1953 to establish a death benefit plan for the members of the Association.  The line of duty death benefit was $200 and the natural death benefit was $100.00!

The two classes of regular membership in POAG are detailed elsewhere on this site, and Life membership awards are presented annually as decided by the Executive Committee.  An Executive Committee is elected at the annual convention; they meet monthly at various locations around the state.  Day to day operations are carried out by the Executive Director and staff in Reidsville where the office has been located in various buildings since 1982.  In 1998, an arsonist destroyed the office along with many records and artifacts; following that occurrence, the office moved to the former residence of State Senator Jack Hill, using insurance proceeds and a $10,000.00 grant from then Governor Zell Miller’s Emergency Fund.  The matter of absentee voting for members of the Executive Committee has surfaced many times throughout POAG history.  The decision of the Committee has always been that a person should be interested enough in the Association to attend conventions to vote in person.

POAG has a long record of representing the interests of ALL law enforcement officers, especially in the area of education and training.  In 1962 the Executive Committee unanimously approved POAG continuing to support the establishment of a police academy; this was accomplished in Atlanta in May of 1964.  In 1967, POAG sponsored legislation proposing a minimum training program for all that enter the police profession.  This, and other recommendations from POAG’s Executive Committee were instrumental in establishing the Peace Officers Standards and Training program.  POAG began offering POST certified training at its annual convention in 1988, and the practice continues today.  The President of POAG is a voting member of POST Council.

Another significant benefit was the 1972 POAG sponsored legislation, which provides a scholarship for dependent children of peace officers who have been permanently injured or killed in the line of duty.  In 1969 the Executive Committee initiated a statewide recognition program for Georgia Officer of the Year, with separate awards for valor and meritorious service.  Those individuals are introduced to the state legislature for recognition, and a Legislative Resolution is passed to honor them.  One of the most significant pieces of legislation for which POAG is responsible is that which requires the signature of a Superior Court Judge on a warrant issued against a police officer; this legislation prevented frivolous charges.  Closely associated is the POAG sponsored legislation that allowed a peace officer and his witness to appear before a grand jury that would be considering an indictment of the peace officer for an act while in the performance of his duty.

The official publication of POAG is THE GEORGIA PEACE OFFICER, a quarterly magazine that contains the minutes of the monthly Committee meetings, current opinions of the state Attorney General, and feature articles of interest to the members.  Its earliest publication dates are not known, but are believed to be prior to 1950.  The oldest copy in possession is dated March 1952.

POAG has undertaken several altruistic endeavors since its formal organization; from 1959 until 1974, it provided an annual four-year college scholarship.  It also sponsored ten orphans per week and thirty children of POAG members to the summer camp operated by the Georgia State Patrol in Cordele until that program was discontinued.

In closing, research indicates that there are many members of The Peace Officers Association of Georgia that are true “heroes” by any measure; there are just too many to mention for fear of leaving someone out that is deserving.  However, there is one person that is acknowledged to have had a significant impact on the organization: Mr. Frank Edwards of Atlanta.  For many years Mr. Edwards was attorney in the Office of Legislative Council in the state capitol and was responsible for drafting and presenting bills to the legislature.  This was a formidable task as literally thousands of proposals flowed through the legislature in a limited amount of time.  During the formative years of this association, many items of extreme importance needed to be introduced, and were it not for “Mr. Frank” they would never have seen the light of day.  His interest in law enforcement and dedication to moving the important issues to the floor have meant that today’s officer is better trained, has more legal status, and is better equipped than ever before.  For this we are grateful; there are officers on duty today that have never heard of “Mr. Frank”, but their circumstances are better, and there is a little more security for their families because he cared.  They just don’t know, but the old timers do, and they thank him.