Residents and travelers may soon begin to notice patrol cars with the new the new Rockdale County Sheriff's Office Criminal Interdiction Unit.

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office Criminal Interdiction Unit is now deployed in Rockdale County to specifically target and address violent crimes and criminal activity. The Criminal Interdiction Unit will concentrate on Interstate 20 with the goals of interdiction of any crime in transit, with a major focus on narcotics, burglaries, thefts, money laundering, weapons violations, kidnappings, assaults, robbery, murder, stolen vehicles, and fugitive apprehensions.

"I am excited that the Criminal Interdiction Unit is now up and running," said Sheriff Eric Levett. "This unit consists of highly-motivated and well-trained deputies that will target drug-traffickers and work heavily in high crime areas. Their efforts are part of my overall plan to combat crime in Rockdale County."

Law enforcement professionals from local, state and federal agencies comprised a panel that interviewed deputies seeking assignment to the CIU. During the intense interviews, deputies were evaluated on their prior performance and their knowledge of the law. The panel recommended a list of deputies after all of the interviews were completed.

The new four-member CIU team will consist of Sgt. Robert Cooley, Deputy Jason Heyman, Deputy Joshua Ricks and Deputy Curtis Thompson. There are also three K-9s in CIU: Boeda is handled by Sgt. Cooley, Storm is handled by Deputy Ricks and Teal is handled by Deputy Heyman.