Frankston Police met Georgia Pedgrift

Frankston City Council Community Safety staff and members of Frankston Police met Georgia Pedgrift from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department, California last week.

The 26-year-old is travelling 'Down Under' to visit her parents. Her father Jim, a former Santa Rosa Mayor, is currently studying a doctorate at Melbourne University.

During her visit, Sheriff Pedgrift has arranged to meet Victoria Police officers and Council staff in different parts to swap stories on policing and community safety.

Sheriff Pedgrift started out as a student intern while completing a college degree in Criminal Justice Administration. "I was going to become a lawyer, but after my internship I decided I really liked this sort of hands-on police work."

She has been working at the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department for more than four years as their Community Services Officer. "I work out of the Crime Prevention Unit and am responsible for community outreach, graffiti removal, abandoned vehicles, crime statistics and presenting to schools and community groups on safety. As you can see I'm pretty busy."

In Australia local government officers are responsible for some of the jobs US sheriffs undertake. For example, Sheriff Pedgrift removes graffiti herself with paint and chemicals while Frankston City Council employs a Graffiti Management Co-ordinator who is responsible for organising the removal of graffiti around the municipality with aid of a contractor, the Department of Corrections (Department of Justice) and Hand-On Learning students from Frankston High School.

Also in Victoria, local government is responsible for removal of abandoned vehicles. Once impounded, they are put up for public tender and can be sold at auction. In Sonoma, however, the Sheriff's Department tows vehicles to the wreckers where they are crushed and the metal recycled.

North of San Francisco, Sonoma County covers an area of 1,500 square miles (3,888 square kilometres) and has a population of 450,000; Frankston City covers an area of 131 square kilometres with a population of around 118,000.

During her stay in Melbourne, Sheriff Pedgrift plans to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol and to find out more about law enforcement in Australia. Talk about dedication to the job!