[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 37 (Monday, February 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E150-E151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN DARR

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2023

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a loving 
husband, dedicated father, seasoned law enforcement executive, dear 
friend of longstanding to my wife Vivian and me, Lieutenant Colonel 
John Darr. An event celebrating his remarkable career in law 
enforcement was held on Thursday, February 23 at the Saint Luke 
Ministry Center in Columbus, Georgia.
  The journey of Lieutenant Colonel Darr began in Fort Benning, 
Georgia. He attended Hardaway High School and Columbus State 
University.
  Lieutenant Colonel Darr began his career with Muscogee County 
Sheriffs Office in 1988 serving in a variety of bureaus to include The 
Fugitive Apprehension Bureau, The Jail Bureau, Patrol Bureau, Court 
Bureau, and Investigative Bureau.
  Because of his vast experience and his penchant for service, 
Lieutenant Colonel Darr ran for and was elected Sheriff of Muscogee 
County in 2008. He was subsequently reelected in 2012. During his 
tenure as Sheriff, Lieutenant Colonel Darr was a visionary leader who 
organized various community outreach programs. One of the first 
programs that he initiated was a program called project lifesaver. This 
program was the first of its kind in Muscogee County.
  The program provided tracking bands to families of program 
individuals with cognitive disabilities to Autism and Alzheimer's. A 
compassionate community servant, Lt. Col. Darr helped to secure funding 
for bands for families that could not afford them as well as provided 
training for his deputies to be able to locate these individuals if 
they were in distress. He also found resources to promote these two 
programs by having an Autism Patrol Car and the All Cancer Support 
Vehicle.
  Lt. Col Darr was also committed to reducing the recidivism rate at 
the Muscogee County Jail.

[[Page E151]]

  Always the visionary, he began several initiatives aimed at improving 
the quality of life for inmates while housed at the jail. These 
initiatives include the Veterans Dorm, the Fatherhood Dorm, and the GED 
Dorm.
  The Veterans Dorm was the first such initiative in the country and 
provided vast resources for those Veterans who were incarcerated. It 
helped them to deal with the ever-present issues of PTSD and substance 
abuse. In short, this initiative helped to prepare these Veterans for 
life after incarceration.
  The Fatherhood Dorm initiative focused on inmates being able to be 
present fathers after their release from incarceration. This initiative 
focused to improving the literacy of fathers so that after their 
release they would have the literacy skills to better themselves and to 
be able to read to their children. Finally, the GED Dorm helped 
incarcerated individuals to obtain their GED's.
  Because of these initiatives and his focus of Mental Health, Lt. Col 
Darr was responsible for the removal of a Federal Consent Decree that 
the jail had operated under since 1999.
  Lt. Col Darr's remarkable service as Sheriff ended in 2016. He always 
looked for ways to help himself and his community. He came back at the 
Lt. Col for jail operations under current Muscogee County Sheriff Greg 
Countryman.
  John Darr has held many titles in his life, but the most befitting is 
that of Servant. It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we 
pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' John Darr has 
paid his rent and he has paid it well.
  Lt. Col Darr has accomplished much in this life, but none of it would 
have been possible with the love and support of his wife Linda and 
their four children: Rachael, Michelle, Courtney and Troy.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join my wife Vivian and me along with the more than 765,000 people of 
Georgia's Second Congressional District in extending our sincerest 
appreciation and best wishes to Lt. Col John Darr on the occasion of 
his retirement from the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office and remarkable 
career in Law Enforcement. To God be the Glory.

                          ____________________