The City of Vidalia, Georgia Police Department

Our city has a population of 10,500 residents in a 17.5 Square mile radius and our police department has 35 sworn and 9 civilian employees.

As your Chief of Police I have taken several steps to improve the overall daily operations of the Vidalia Police Department.

Drug enforcement is still our number one priority in the City of Vidalia, it is our goal to rid the city of illegal drugs. As you know we observe firsthand the lives and families destroyed as a result of drugs. The drug users and dealers continue to drain and tax our community. The majority of crimes are committed in our community are a result of alcohol or drug use. We must band together. We are all responsible for the safety and welfare of our families. We must educate ourselves and teach others drug usage is ultimately a death sentence.

As Chief of the Vidalia Police Department, I have placed a strong emphasis on community policing and being a more citizen-oriented department. The Vidalia Police Department mission is to continually improve by providing Direction, Leadership and Training with which we will diligently serve and protect the citizens of the City of Vidalia, Georgia.

Our “Are You Ok” program is doing very well and we currently have 51 Citizens that we call and check their welfare on a daily basis. We have started a new program called “Cops Corner”, in conjunction with the local radio station, Vidalia Communications Inc., we explain certain traffic law so that our community is enlightened, and, in this hopefully our community will be a safer place for all.

I’m encouraging the citizens of Vidalia to contact me if they have any questions or concerns about the operations of the police department or their neighborhoods.

-Chief J. Frank Waits