Georgia agriculture department reforming law enforcement division

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has regained its status as a law enforcement agency more than a decade after the agency’s Law Enforcement Division was disbanded.

Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper has appointed 29-year law enforcement and emergency management veteran Harlan Proveaux to head the newly reconstituted division. Proveaux will serve the agency’s Law Enforcement & Emergency Management Division as both director and inspector general.

Before joining the agriculture department, Proveaux served for seven years as deputy director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. He also has worked for several other state and local agencies including the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, the state Department of Natural Resources, and the Ware County Sheriff’s Office.

“Director Proveaux brings decades of experience in law enforcement and emergency management, and he has my full support and confidence as we work together to rebuild and restore this critical division within the department,” Harper said.

The restored law enforcement division in Harper’s department will assist local, state, and federal agencies with a wide range of investigations from animal cruelty to labor and drug trafficking and agroterrorism, while also working to improve safety and security at the state farmers markets across Georgia.

The emergency management aspect of the division will work to respond more rapidly and effectively to animal diseases and natural disasters.