AUGUSTA, Ga. ()- One of Sheriff Eugene Brantley’s biggest goals since he took office is to decrease traffic fatalities in Richmond County. 

Now, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant to help make our roads safer.

They’ve already responded to a lot of accidents in 2025, and we’re also still in the middle of the period known as the “100 Deadliest Days”.

But deputies say these federal dollars could make a difference. 

As Sheriff Brantley continues working to make Richmond County safer, one of the areas he wants to address is safety on the roads. 

“We’ve likely hit nearly 5,000 accidents within just the first half-year alone. Currently, we have 16 to 17 fatalities on the books this year, whereas we’ve been seeing 40 or more in previous years—meaning we need to cut those numbers down,” stated Major Robbie Silas.

In response, Brantley introduced the HEAT Team, which stands for Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic. This specialized unit comprises a select few deputies who are highly trained to address the issue.

“They will be out going after aggressive drivers, impaired drivers, and enforcing the traffic laws throughout the community,” Silas said.

Through collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Sheriff’s Office was able to obtain a $1.2 million grant, which facilitated the acquisition of three cutting-edge patrol cars equipped with distinct features for the HEAT Team.

We talked to one of the team members, Major Trevor Gordon.

“We have a cool new radar feature. Basically, we’re sitting on the side of the highway running any type of speed, or sitting there doing reports, turn on the radar mode and it’ll let us know any time someone comes up near the car,” said Gordon. “It’ll automatically lock the doors, and it’ll set off a loud beeping noise when people walk up to the car. Really cool feature, great for officer safety.”

Just a few days ago, the Sheriff’s office arrested two 17-year-olds in a road rage shooting on I-20.

But, deputies say these new vehicles could help to reduce those kinds of incidents. 

“With all the features that we have in these new cars, I definitely think it’ll make us safer, community safer, and most importantly public driving,” Gordon said.

“People don’t realize how many people have been killed on our roadways, and this right here is going to be a big deterrent,” said Silas.

That $1.2 million will be spread out over the next 5 years, covering costs for the vehicles and deputies’ salaries.

With July 4th events in the Garden City this weekend, deputies will be planning to have these vehicles ready to patrol our roads.