City of Hartwell Police Department

The City of Hartwell Police Department is a full service, 24 - hour law-enforcement agency serving the citizens of Hartwell, Georgia.

Hartwell's Police Chief is Cecil E. Reno who has been with the department since August, 1976. He has served as a patrolman, sergeant, and was appointed the position of chief by the Mayor and City Council in August, 1978. Chief Reno attended the Atlanta Law School and received an AA degree from Emmanuel College and an ABA from Piedmont College. His goals in law enforcement are to treat everyone fairly and curb the possession, sale and trafficking of illegal drugs in and around the city. The door to Chief Reno's office is always open; his office phone number is 1.706.376.3111 or 1.706.856.3213.

The Hartwell Police Department is composed of uniformed officers, a Chief of Police, two investigators, five resource officers, four dispatchers, police secretary / clerk of court, DARE unit, 2 K-9 units, City Municipal Judge and a public defender.

The citizens of Hartwell enjoys a low crime rate due to its small population of 4190. As for crime, the Hartwell Police Department has a high clearance rate in solving the crimes that occur within the city.

The uniformed officers put their heart and soul into their jobs to protect and serve the citizens and tourists of our great city. These officers answer approximately 4,335 calls each month. While the call volume is light compared to some cities, the officers have to handle the same problems as other cities its size. The response time for the officers is approximately two (2) minutes anywhere in the city.

The police officers work with the children of our community. They work with the Explorer Scout program POST-739. Sgt. Paul Agnew  also works with the D.A.R.E. program at Hartwell Elementary School and South Hart Elementary.

The Investigation Division of the police department consists of two (2) officers, Capt. Tony Welborn and Sgt. Anthony Davis. Both do a great job in solving and dealing with all types of crimes from homicides to rapes to burglaries, handling most of the cases from start to finish. The investigators are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In cases where assistance is needed, the police department uses the resources of the G.B.I. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation).

Hartwell is updating the law enforcement capabilities of its Police Department to include a SRT team composed of seven (7) full time officers. Officers are trained to cope with violent acts of aggression threatening public safety. Trained officers will be available to provide an immediate response to control/defuse a situation that would further impact public and private facilities when assistance from other agencies of the State of Georgia is not available.

So remember, Hartwell, Georgia is "The Best Town by a Dam Site." Come by and see the officers of the Hartwell Police Department; they always want to make you welcome.

Cecil Reno
Police Chief