DeKalb County officials announce crackdown on illegal tire dumping; 10 arrested, 4 suspects sought

DeKalb County officials on Tuesday described an intensifying crackdown on illegal tire dumping that they said has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars and created environmental and public-safety hazards.

County CEO Lorraine Johnson said the county's initial cleanup removed more than 30,000 tires and that officials have "doubled down" on enforcement, arresting 10 people and seeking four others in a campaign to stop individuals and firms from dumping tires in neighborhoods and along county corridors. She urged residents to use the county's free tire amnesty program and to report suspected dumping.

The announcement centered on new investigative tools and coordinated enforcement. "Since the launch of our digital shield program, our investigators have arrested 10 individuals connected with illegal tire dumping," DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said, citing the department's real-time crime center and other technology. He described a March 24 incident in which officers stopped a U-Haul near the press site and found about 30 tires; the suspect in that case, Joseph Franklin, was taken into custody and has been charged with two counts of illegal dumping, the chief said.

Lorraine Johnson framed the problem as an environmental and public-safety threat that harms neighborhoods and burdens property owners. "The program provides an opportunity to dispose of tires at absolutely no cost," she said of DeKalb's amnesty events; she also said some businesses that are paid to dispose of tires have instead turned them over to third parties who discard them illegally and that the county is working to hold those businesses accountable.

Tomsa Clark, director of code compliance administration, said the county is pursuing a "holistic" enforcement approach, working with the law department to draft stronger ordinances and fine structures to improve prosecution and adjudication of scrap-tire violations: "It's not just code enforcement involved singularly97we're working collaboratively to address this issue."

When asked about penalties, Johnson said Georgia law ties penalties to the weight of the tires and that at about 500 pounds the offense can be treated as a felony; she framed that figure as the statutory threshold rather than a precise new policy change. The county has held two recent amnesty Saturdays and officials said more will be scheduled while the county seeks recycling partners to repurpose tires.

Reporters pressed for operational details. The police chief said technology and community tips have both helped identify suspects: "On this specific incident, this was actually a public partnership with our community who alerted our officers," he said. Detective Anderson added that several suspects arrested or sought in the sweep came from neighboring counties to dump tires in DeKalb.

Officials said photos of additional suspects and a fuller news release with names and outstanding-warrant information will be circulated to media partners after the conference. Blaine Clark, the county's police public information officer who opened and closed the briefing, asked residents to report suspicious activity and to participate in amnesty days.

The county did not announce new ordinances or fines at the briefing; officials said legislation and ordinance changes are in progress and that some investigations remain active and cannot be fully detailed publicly.