Calhoun City Police Chief Gary Moss and Sgt. Jay Marquez were honored recently by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for their participation in the Safe Streets Task Force.

Marquez and Moss were presented with a letter of appreciation from FBI agents Monday at the Calhoun City Council regular meeting, said Information Officer Lt. Tony Pyle.

Marquez, who has served with the Calhoun Police Department for 10 years, was also recognized for helping the FBI in a significant public corruption case in Atlanta, said Pyle.

Established in 1992, the Safe Street Task Force was designed by the FBI to allow federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to work together to address violent street gangs and drug-related violence in communities, according to the FBI’s website, www.FBI.gov.

Georgia has six Safe Streets Task Forces and it includes: Atlanta Criminal Enterprise, Central Savannah River Area Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Conasauga Major Offenders Task Force, Hall County Major Offenders Task Force, Northwest Georgia Criminal Enterprise Task Force and Southwest Georgia Gang Task Force, according to FBI.gov.

Pyle said the Calhoun Police Department chose to have a partnership with the FBI and it has proven beneficial. Without it, he said, officers would normally only have jurisdiction in Calhoun.

“Most of the time, it benefits us once they (officers) have been deputized as federal agents,” he said. “Especially in drug cases, because it could start in Calhoun, but as you move your way up the chain, the case could more than likely lead you outside of Calhoun.”

He said the partnership has also opened up a bevy of federal resources for the Police Department to use.