There are three probable ways you can see what happens when a Gilmer deputy makes an arrest at 8 p.m. on a weeknight.
The first is working at the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO). The second is getting arrested. The third is enrolling with the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA).
“CLEA shows the community who we are, what we do, and what they’re getting for their tax dollars,” GCSO Lieutenant George Ellis said.
For the GCSO, CLEA is an essential tool for providing transparency.
When people see how deputies do their jobs, it helps build trust in law enforcement.
“It opens lines of communications where they don’t see us as just somebody driving around in a black and white police car,” he said. “They actually get to know us, and we get to know them.”
On June 9, the GCSO announced that 27 people graduated the 14-week CLEA program.
To graduate, participants spend one night each week taking a three-hour class on different aspects of law enforcement.
Classes include visits to GCSO facilities, a visit to the jail, ride-alongs with patrol deputies, learning about K-9 operations, learning about court services and more.
“Each session is different,” Ellis said.
The program is open to anyone 21 or older who lives, works or owns a business in Gilmer and doesn’t have a serious criminal history.
“People say, ‘All those Gilmer County deputies do is write people from Florida speeding tickets.’ But somebody that’s actually been through CLEA and has done ride-alongs with deputies will know that that’s not true,” he said.
As long as your questions aren’t confidential, CLEA will be able to answer them.
Often, people are surprised by how much deputies have to know about law and how complex the requirements can be for arrest and search and seizure.
“It’s surprising how much your normal, average, everyday citizen doesn’t know,” Ellis said. “Once they start seeing it for themselves, they realize that there’s a lot more to it than they think there is.”
While the application deadline for the most recent CLEA class was June 30, 2026, there will still be more opportunities for classes in the future.
Those interested in participating in future CLEA classes can contact Ellis at 706-515-2654 or email George.ellis@gilmersheriffga.gov.
The program is very popular and has become a “big deal.”
“We did our first session in August, 2011, we’ve done 19 or 20 sessions total, and we’ve graduated almost 300 citizens since we’ve started,” he said.
Before the lockdowns in 2020, Gilmer’s CLEA program had three sessions each year.
But enrollment numbers dropped sharply during the shutdowns.
“After COVID, we were struggling just to get enough people to put one class on,” Ellis said.
In the past few years, the numbers have been on the upswing.
“Getting the number of people that applied in 2026 was a really nice surprise,” he said.