Sheriff Chitwood is a life
long resident of Whitfield County, having graduated from Dalton
High School. Further
education includes a Criminal Justice Degree from Dalton
State College. Additionally,
he is a graduate of the National Sheriff’s Institute
(1993) and the F.B.I.
National Academy (1994- 178th session).
In
1975 he became a Deputy Sheriff of Whitfield County. Beginning
in 1980, he moved into the business field as the Division
Security Director of West Point Pepperell followed by employment
as the Corporate Security Director for Shaw Industries. In 1988 he was recruited by the Whitfield County Sheriff to
return to public service as Chief Deputy for the Whitfield
County Sheriff’s Office. In
1992 he ran for sheriff and came close to defeating three
opponents on the first ballot. He
did defeat his nearest opponent in a run-off election and
began serving his first term as sheriff. In
1996 he ran with opposition and was elected for a second
term, he was reelected for a third term, this time without
opposition.
Sheriff
Chitwood has often been recognized for his outstanding work
as a county sheriff. In
1994 he was among six sheriffs form Georgia to be briefed
in Washington D.C. by Attorney General Janet Reno on the
crime bill about to go before Congress. He
returned to Washington that November to witness President
Clinton as he signed the bill. In 1996 he was selected by the Democratic Party as the “Public
Official of the Year.” In
1997 he was chosen to serve as one of 12 delegates to represent
the State of Georgia on a 15-day trip to Israel to study
law enforcement techniques and anti-terrorist procedures
with the Israel Police. He
was ask to participate in the Dalton Whitfield Leadership
Class of 2002. Also
during this year, he was appointed by the Governor of
Georgia to serve on the Sheriff’s Retirement Board. As
a final outstanding achievement for 2002, Sheriff Chitwood
received the honor of being chosen by the 159 sheriffs
of the State of Georgia as the recipient of the prestigious “Sheriff
of the Year” award.
Community
service has been important to Sheriff Chitwood. He serves on the boards of directors of Cherokee Estates Sheriff
Youth Homes, The Green House, and Big
Brothers Big Sisters. He
has been a Big Brother to his Little Brother for seven years. Professionally,
Sheriff Chitwood affiliates with The Georgia
Sheriffs’ Association, the National Jail Association,
and the Georgia Jail Association.
When
elected sheriff in 1992, the county jail was 25 years old
with a bed capacity of 124. Through
the next ten years, the jail population exploded to over
300 inmates which forced some inmates to be house six hours
away from Whitfield County. Payments
for this outside housing exceeded two million dollars during
the last few years before the new facility was built. During this time, Sheriff Chitwood guided his department in
remaining competent, professional, and service oriented through
the settlement of the Whitfield County jail conditions case. The
people of Whitfield County voted in a SPLOST through which
specific funds were designated for the construction of a new
jail facility. The
21 million building was completed in 2003. The
staff increased from 130 to over 170 employees.
When
Sheriff Chitwood can find time, his hobbies include fishing,
playing golf and working out.
