SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — It's been more than two months since Georgia's Squatter Reform Act was signed into law, making squatting illegal. However, this law doesn't help landlords who have tenants who simply stop paying rent and refuse to leave.
Those owners have to go through the courts and file an eviction. With a backlog of evictions in Fulton County, many landlords are waiting some time to get tenants removed.
However, under H.B. 1203, which now allows off-duty officers to assist the Fulton County Marshal's Office with executing writs of possessions, there may be some relief on the way. South Fulton Police Lt. Jubal Rogers was the first officer to sign up to help.
“It’s a good opportunity to give back to the community," Lt. Rogers said.
The public information officer signed up just last week and has since recruited others within his department to join him.
“We just want to try and help our law enforcement partners clear up the backlog," Lt. Rogers added.
Captain Quinten Hill with the Fulton County Marshal's Office said that, as of Monday morning, the South Fulton Police Department was the first and only agency to sign up to assist.
11Alive went out with Lt. Rogers and other off-duty officers as they executed their first writ of possession in partnership with the Marshal's Office. The landlord, Marilyn Pumphrey, was present as officers evicted six people from inside her unit.
“They haven’t paid rent since November of last year," she explained.
The South Fulton landlord said she just contacted Lt. Rogers at the beginning of this month.
“I just want to thank them because this is the smoothest process that I’ve been through since being a landlord,” Pumphrey said.
Once the officers removed the tenants from the premises, they placed a sign on the property's door showing the case number and responding office. The sign explained that criminal trespassing charges would be enforced if the tenant returned.
South Fulton Police Deputy Chief Eddie Smith said he's proud that his department is the first to sign up for the effort and believes it will only further empower property owners in the South Fulton area.
"City of South Fulton Police Department, we’re here to partner with others. We understand that we get more done when we’re in a group setting or in a partnership with others, so we’re here for those relationships,” Smith said.
Under H.B. 1203, off-duty officers who sign up to assist the Marshal's Office must be serving a writ of possession within their jurisdiction.