About Us

About Sheriff Rick Kelley

Born and raised in White County, Sheriff Rick Kelley is a veteran law enforcement professional who has spent nearly the last twenty years protecting and serving the citizens of White County.  The sheriff holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from North Georgia College & State University and in 2003, he began his career in law enforcement as a jailer at White County Sheriff’s Office, serving under long-time Sheriff Neal Walden.  Over the years, he ascended through the ranks, working in all divisions, to eventually become captain over the criminal investigations division. He was later elected sheriff and took office in January of 2021.  Further, Sheriff Kelley is an active member of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and several civic organizations, such as the White County Rotary Club, Yonah Lodge #382, Yaarab Shrine, and Alpine Shrine Club.  He also serves on the board of the South Enotah Child Advocacy Center, White County Family Connections, and the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Board.

During his career, Sheriff Kelley has acquired thousands of hours of advanced law enforcement training.  Due to his knowledge and experience, he was able to establish multiple beneficial programs during his first term as sheriff.  Sheriff Kelley implemented programs such as the K-9 program, which includes two K-9 dogs, so a K-9 is available for each shift rotation. Having a K-9 available at all times provides deputies with an additional proactive measure they can use to combat drug activity within the community.  In addition, Sheriff Kelley worked closely with the White County Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners in order to secure funding for additional school resource officers.  As a result of their successful collaboration, White County Schools now have a dedicated school resource officer assigned to every school in the county.  The additional officers help ensure the children and staff have a safe and secure environment for learning. 

On the technological front, Sheriff Kelley has also implemented the use of body cameras for all deputies.  The use of body cameras will help foster transparency with the public and protect the deputy.  In addition to the body cameras, the sheriff has implemented educational tablets in the jail for inmates to have additional resources for substance abuse treatment programs, parenting classes, anger management treatment, and other educational materials.  Turning dead time for inmates into productive time allows for better reintegration into society further down the road.  In a further effort to keep up to date with technology and the increasing number of calls for service, Sheriff Kelley also added MDT’s (Mobile Dispatch Terminals) to the patrol vehicles. This added technology greatly increases the efficiency of the deputies responding to calls for service.  

Also, in order to help ensure the relationship between the community and the White County Sheriff’s Office remains strong, Sheriff Kelley has implemented a Citizens Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA). The Citizens Law Enforcement Academy held its inaugural class in the spring of 2022 and aims to help the public better understand how the sheriff’s office operates and exactly what the responsibilities are for the sheriff’s office.  In addition to the CLEA, classes such as women’s self-defense and firearm safety are being offered to the citizens of White County.  

Sheriff Kelley is dedicated to providing a professional law enforcement service to the citizens of White County.  He supports and works hard for the employees of the White County Sheriff’s Office and even harder to serve the citizens of White County in order to ensure that White County remains a safe place to live, work, and visit for generations to come.