The Union County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy continued with its second of five sessions on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Union County Schools Training Room. The evening featured an overview of different UCSO divisions and highlights of interesting cases handled by each.
Deputy Eddie Henderson emceed, kicking things off with what law enforcement is and the challenges officers face in their careers. For example, peace officers are held to higher standards than average citizens, and they witness tragedies and experience trauma at a higher rate.
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“The main goal is to improve the lives of people or society,” Henderson said, referring to law enforcement as a craft that is honed over time by individuals and agencies. “Tonight we’re transitioning … to what the officers here in this county do.”
Serving as the first presenter that evening was Capt. Doug Brackett, commander over the Criminal Investigations Division. There are five deputies at Criminal Investigations, including Brackett, and in 2025, 482 cases were divided among them. Most of those cases come from 911 calls, though some do result from direct reports.
Brackett highlighted a local theft case solved using flock cameras that tracked the perpetrator across county and state lines. In doing so, Brackett wanted to show how useful that technology has been in cracking down on certain crimes. He even assuaged some fears by explaining that the cameras are only accessed by certified law enforcement and do not track phones.
Sgt. Bob Calamari was next up to the podium. So far, he has served three years at the Union County Sheriff’s Office, but he has about 29 years of law enforcement experience between California, Florida and Georgia, and is a Marine Corps veteran. He tackles financial crimes and holds a regular scam awareness and prevention class.
Calling his presentation the “Reader’s Digest” version of his hour-and-a-half class, he educated attendees about some common scams that have been reported in the community and how to avoid them. The case Calamari highlighted involved a woman defrauded of $87,000 in an online scam; fortunately, Calamari helped recover $37,000 for her.
Sgt. Marc Pilote warned the audience that some children with access to technology are in danger even from the safety of their own bedrooms. Pilote has served nine of his 12 years in law enforcement in Criminal Investigations, specializing in technological and sex-based crimes.
Pilote introduced the audience to the case of a local individual arrested for possession of “child pornography.” That term is in the process of being legally changed to child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, to eliminate any pretense of consent. Despite common belief, most CSAM content is of pre-pubescent children rather than teens.
Capt. Tyler Miller is over the Narcotics Division. Including Miller, the Narcotics Division is made up of three people, and one of those investigators has been attached to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Miller himself has been with UCSO for 19 years, including 15 in Narcotics.
Miller shared the story of a local drug dealer’s apprehension before answering questions about narcotics cases and asset forfeiture. Guns and vehicles seized from drug cases typically go to auction to supplement UCSO funds.
When a citizen expressed displeasure at letting certain amounts of drugs go in the pursuit of building cases against dealers, Miller and Sheriff Shawn Dyer clarified that in order to establish guilt, enough evidence must be compiled to hold up in court.
Lt. Shane Burnette is a patrol officer. His background includes service in the U.S. Army immediately after high school, and he completed law enforcement training in 1995. He has been with UCSO since 2015.
Working patrol means seeing “a little bit of everything,” as the Patrol Division serves as “infantry” and is often the first to answer calls. Patrol deputies are also on the front lines of helping their community, which could mean anything from driving someone home from the hospital when they have no family to running a lost goat off the highway.
Last but not least, Deputy Steve Bennett talked about traffic enforcement. Two years ago, he was asked to work with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, where he helps educate the public on highway safety.
Bennett has spoken on driver safety at Union County Schools before and is certified to help parents in the community learn how to properly install and use car seats.
According to statistics he provided, 2025 saw 910 total crashes in Union County, with 214 injury crashes and four fatal crashes. Compared to other counties in Georgia, Union County’s fatalities are relatively low.
“We look forward to seeing everybody next week. I appreciate y’all doing this, and we’ll be ready for some more good stuff next (Thursday),” Dyer said in closing.
