New sheriff makes staff changes

New Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum made several staff changes during her first few days in office, including naming Daniel Thomas as chief deputy and Clayton Lowe as jail commander.

Major Thomas, who retired from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after 30 years and also worked with the Georgia State Patrol, replaces David Cochran as chief deputy. Cochran has been reassigned as a lieutenant in the jail division.

Capt. Lowe, who served as sheriff of Madison County for 12 years and worked for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, replaces David Savage as jail commander. Savage has been reassigned to the patrol division.


“It is a reassignment that is part of my plan,” Mangum said of the changes.

Positions that will remain the same include: Capt. Rich Lott as CID commander; Capt. Chuck Ledford as Road Patrol commander; and Capt. Chris Smith as Court Division/Civil commander.

Mangum also created a new Special Operations Division headed by, Capt. D.G. Thomas. He will supervise the school resource officers and lead the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Team.

“They will work in high-crime areas to address issues,” Mangum said. “They will concentrate on specific areas. They will work different schedules and will be out there to go after the criminal element. We are trying to get everything in place so we can start doing what we are supposed to do — to serve and protect the people of Jackson County. I just reorganized things to make sure everything is running efficiently.”