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Pickens County, Georgia Emergency Support Function Annex 2025 13 Law Enforcement ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 1 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement Records of Change Each update or change to the plan should be tracked. The record of changes, usually in table format, contains, at a minimum, a change number, the date of the change, the name of the person who made the change, and a summary of the change. Other relevant information could be considered. Change Number Date Part Affected Date Posted Who Posted 1 8-15-2025 New Annex 10-24-2025 Westbrook ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement Record of Distribution Agency Name Date of Delivery Copies Pickens County Sheriff Donnie Craig 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Commission Chairman Kris Stancil 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Commissioner West Josh Tippens 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Commissioner East Josh Tatum 10-24-2025 1 Mayor City of Jasper Kirk Raffield 10-24-2025 1 Mayor City of Nelson Sylvia Green 10-24-2025 1 Mayor Town of Talking Rock James Bryant Jr. 10-24-2025 1 City Manager Jasper Brandon Douglas 10-24-2025 1 City Clerk Town of Talking Rock Amanda Buntin 10-24-2025 1 City Clerk City of Nelson Kelsey Reihl 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Public Safety Director Sloan Elrod 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Marshal Jody Weaver 10-24-2025 1 City of Jasper Police Chief Dawkins 10-24-2025 1 Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Hall 10-24-2025 1 Director Public Safety Pickens County Sloan Elrod 10-24-2025 1 Bent Tree Public Safety Michaell Koorey 10-24-2025 1 Big Canoe Public Safety Ricky Jordan 10-24-2025 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement Contents Records of Change 1 Record of Distribution 2 1.0 Approval and Implementation 3 2.0 ESF Coordinator and Support Agencies 5 ESF COORDINATOR 5 SUPPORT AGENCIES 5 3.0 Introduction 6 3.1 Purpose 6 3.2 Scope 6 4.0 Concept of Operations 6 4.1 General 6 4.2 Preparedness 6 4.3 Response Phase 7 4.4 Recovery 8 4.5 Mitigation 8 4.6 ESF Role Aligned to Core Capabilities 9 4.7 Organization 9 5.0 Coordinator and Assignment Responsibilities 10 5.1 ESF Coordinator 10 5.2 Support Agencies Responsibilities 11 6.0 Direction, Control, and Coordination 12 6.1 Information Collection and Dissemination 12 6.2 Communications 12 6.3 Administration, Finance, and Logistics 12 7.0 ESF Annex Development and Maintenance 13 7.1 Development & Maintenance 13 8.0 Authorities and References 13 8.1 Legal Authority 13 8.2 References 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 5 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 2.0 ESF Coordinator and Support Agencies ESF COORDINATOR Pickens County Sheriff’s Office SUPPORT AGENCIES Pickens County Marshal’s Office City of Jasper Police Department Emergency Support Function Law Enforcement 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 6 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Purpose ESF-13 Law Enforcement annex supports the Pickens County, Georgia Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and complies with standards set forth in the National Response Framework. This annex provides operational guidance to offices, departments and organizations that are assigned to work within this ESF to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency in Pickens County, Georgia. This, however, is not a tactical response document. ESF-13 Law Enforcement annex is designed to ensure seamless integration of law enforcement resources and information for all mission area activities to address an emergency or disaster. 3.2 Scope ESF-13 annex acts to meet the law enforcement and essential elements of information needs of operations to include planning, public information, operational coordination, situational assessment, on-scene security, protection, law enforcement and other core capabilities in an emergency or a disaster. ESF 13 annex is structured to oversee the public’s safety needs within Pickens County, Georgia. 4.0 Concept of Operations 4.1 General During an emergency or disaster, ESF-13 may be activated to support operations and assist with the development of a common operating picture. The scope, scale and magnitude of the threat or incident will dictate which support agencies will be requested to staff ESF-13 Law Enforcement in the Pickens County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). 4.2 Preparedness a. Analyze hazards and determine law enforcement support requirements including the need to preposition necessary assets. b. Develop and maintain a listing of all available resources. c. Identify agencies, organizations and individuals with the capability to support operations. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 7 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement d. Establish and maintain procedures for alerting support agencies and personnel. e. Establish and maintain liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. f. Coordinate the development of memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) with appropriate agencies/organizations for the provision of law enforcement personnel and resources to support an emergency or disaster response. g. Develop procedures for operations pertaining to the recovery of human remains to include necessary reporting requirements. h. Conduct and/or support public education programs on safety, security and survival techniques. i. Establish procedures for assisting in the identification, location, removal and disposition of the deceased. j. Ensure all ESF-13 personnel are trained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and integrate NIMS principles into exercise and response operations. 4.3 Response Phase a. Secure evacuated areas, including safeguarding critical facilities and controlling entry and exit points to the disaster area as necessary. b. Activate existing MOUs with supporting entities as appropriate. c. Coordinate with ESF-5 Emergency Management/Planning to request additional resources as necessary. d. Provide security to the EOC. e. Provide warning and communications assistance in support of ESF-2 Communications. f. Provide support to county evacuation plans through the provision of public notifications, traffic control, communications, area patrols and security for shelter locations. g. Coordinate county assistance as necessary for the notification of next of kin. h. Control vehicle and individual access to restricted areas. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 8 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement j. Coordinate with ESF-15 External Affairs for the collection and dissemination of necessary public information. k. Participate in EOC planning meetings and briefings during activation. 4.4 Recovery a. Continue operations as necessary to ensure the protection of life and property. b. Maintain records of expenditures and document resources utilized during recovery. c. Provide assistance during the return of evacuees. d. Inventory lost or damaged agency/department equipment and record any personnel injuries or equipment accidents. e. Conduct reviews of Law Enforcement operations with teams involved to improve future responses and participate in after action activities of the EOC. 4.5 Mitigation a. Evaluate possible mitigation strategies to lessen the impacts of disaster on law enforcement facilities and personnel. b. Participate in the development of county-wide hazard mitigation strategies. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 9 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 4.6 ESF Role Aligned to Core Capabilities Core Capability ESF 13 Law Enforcement On-scene Security, Protection and Law Enforcement Ensure a safe and secure environment through law enforcement and related security and protection operations for people and communities located within affected areas and also for response personnel engaged in lifesaving and life-sustaining operations. This includes, among other things: Provide Warnings and Communications Conduct Area Patrols Ensure Safety and Security Conduct Traffic Control Situational Assessment Provide all decision makers with decision- relevant information regarding the nature and extent of the hazard, any cascading effects, and the status of the response. Operational Coordination Establish and maintain a unified and coordinated operational structure and process that appropriately integrates all critical stakeholders and supports the execution of core capabilities. Table 1: Alignment with Core Capabilities 4.7 Organization The Pickens County, Georgia Emergency Operations Center will be activated to coordinate a multijurisdictional level response. Representatives form ESF-13 organizations may be requested to staff the EOC ESF 13 positions as needed to meet incident needs and coordinate operations. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 10 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 5.0 Coordinator and Assignment Responsibilities 5.1 ESF Coordinator The ESF 13 Law Enforcement coordinator is the Pickens County Sheriff or designee. Within the county EOC, the ESF-13 coordinator will serve a dual role as the ESF coordinator and the primary agency coordinator for all Law Enforcement Operations. 5.1.1 ESF Coordinator Responsibilities Pickens County Sheriff’s Office ☐ Conduct a situational assessment and prioritize response actions. Identify and facilitate resolution of area responsibility among supporting agencies. Establish and maintain communications with municipal liaisons to collect and relay pertinent information. Provide technical assistance on policy issues. Coordinate with other ESFs to consolidate reports and eliminate the duplication of efforts. Coordinate with each support agency through at least quarterly meetings to ensure planning functions are carried out to support this ESF. Serve as a liaison between the EOC and state operations center concerning law enforcement activities. Provide assistance ESF-15 External Affairs regarding the dissemination of public information concerning law enforcement activities. Provide support staffing to the EOC for the following positions: ESF-13 Law Enforcement EOC Security ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 11 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 5.2 Support Agencies Responsibilities 5.2.1 All Support Agencies All Support Agencies ☐ Attend ESF meetings to ensure planning and coordination functions are carried out to support ESF 13. Identify Agency staff representatives to support this ESF and other operational practices during emergency and disaster operations. Ensure the presence of resources (human and physical) are in sufficient numbers to support the Agency’s responsibilities to this ESF. Conduct recovery and restoration tasks in coordination with the EOC. Annually evaluate Critical Workforce staffing needs and report sheltering and/or equipment staging locations as requested. Coordinate pertinent disaster recovery information with the County Joint Information Center (JIC). Identify damages and/or losses and prepare an action plan for recovery activities. 5.2.2 Agency Specific Responsibilities Pickens County Marshal’s Office ☐ Enforce County Codes and Ordinances. ☐ Provide assistance through the allocation of available resources and personnel as appropriate. ☐ Participate in planning functions to provide expertise pertaining to agency roles and responsibilities. City of Jasper Police Department ☐ Provide Law Enforcement Services to the City of Jasper. ☐ Provide assistance through the allocation of available resources and personnel as appropriate. ☐ Participate in planning functions to provide expertise pertaining to agency roles and responsibilities. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 12 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 6.0 Direction, Control, and Coordination 6.1 Information Collection and Dissemination ESF 13 Law Enforcement will coordinate with ESF 5 Emergency Management Situation Unit for inclusion in the development of incident action plans and situational reports. All public information reports regarding ESF 13 Law Enforcement activity will be coordinated with EOC ESF 15 External Affairs. In addition to the EOC, ESF 13 may provide personnel to ensure security at incident facilities established in Pickens County, Georgia to include, but not limited to: Joint Field Offices (JFO), Joint Information Centers (JIC), Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs), shelters, points of distribution, and any other incident facility established to meet operational demands for each particular incident requiring the activation of the Emergency Operations Plan. 6.2 Communications The ESF 5 Emergency Management will provide planning assistance to all ESFs listed in the EOP. All ESFs will strive to develop operationally ready SOGs for inclusion in the EOP. ESF 13 Law Enforcement will meet as necessary to develop, review and refine SOGs that discuss specific operational processes and procedures. 6.3 Administration, Finance, and Logistics In conjunction with ESF 7 Resource Support, ESF 13 Law Enforcement will develop, review, refine and maintain lists of all resources currently available and under the control of the primary or support agencies listed in this plan. The development of these lists may be completed by several organizations and professional groups, which currently operate within this ESF. These resource lists should be compliant with the resource typing standards outlined in the National Incident Management System 2017 (NIMS). Resource requirements will be primarily determined by on scene Incident Commanders, working with the Emergency Operations Center. Resource requests flow from the Incident Commander to the EOC and may be forwarded to the State Operations Center (or through the GEMA/HS Field Coordinator) as required. Existing local resources, intrastate mutual aid, donations, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO) provide the initial source of personnel, vehicles, equipment, supplies, and services to fulfill resource requests. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 13 of 14 Emergency Support Function 13 Law Enforcement 7.0 ESF Annex Development and Maintenance 7.1 Development & Maintenance ESF Annexes will be updated as required and when events or exercises identify a needed change. All other maintenance will be conducted in accordance with the base plan. 8.0 Authorities and References 8.1 Legal Authority Code of Ordinances Pickens County, Georgia Chapter 22-32(3), 22-33. Code of Georgia TITLE 38, Article 2, Section 38-3-27. 8.2 References Pickens County, Georgia Emergency Operations Plan. Georgia Emergency Operations Plan. National Response Framework. FEMA 2019. National Incident Management System. FEMA 2017. National Preparedness Goal. FEMA 2015.