A local police chief is urging Georgia legislators to adopt a new-bill that addresses the so-called sovereign citizen movement and would give state, county and municipal law enforcement officers & judicial officials the same protections afforded those in the federal ranks. Temple Police Chief, Tim Shaw says he has become all-too-aware of what he calls the need for this law, as a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen is taking a grudge against Shaw too far; subtly threatening Shaw’s family and “filing frivolous claims” against the chief after he was ticketed for a $15.00 violation.
 
“What I’m hoping to happen with this law is two fold: number one, to stop frivolous filings…and that’s part of the sovereign (modus operandi),” he says. “Also, it would give court clerks more discretion as far as what they can and what they cannot file. As it stands today, if someone wants to file something, and it looks like “legal jargon,” the clerk has no discretion to deny.”
 
Shaw was forced to obtain a restraining order against the alleged harasser after Shaw received a letter with Map Quest driving directions from the man’s residence to Shaw’s home; also the man’s residence to Shaw’s mother and father’s home in Florida. He says it has been a time consuming and at times stressful burden for someone who is just doing his job.
 
“This guy is essentially trying to extort money from me, simply because an officer did his job and wrote the guy a ticket for not wearing his seatbelt,” Shaw says. “Another example, here: one of my officers was sitting on 78, waiting for an armed robbery suspect to come out of Haralson County. The (sovereign citizen) pulls up, starts video recording the officer; asking him questions like ‘What’s your name? What’s your badge number? Do you realize it’s not legal for you to be here?’ The officer did not know how to react in that situation so he left the scene.”
 
Shaw says his issue with that particular scenario is that there is a concern for the officer’s safety. “Not to mention obstructing the officer but also we don’t know what certain people are going to do, this day and age.”

Shaw says law-makers hope to assign a House bill number to a related bill within the next month.