A woman recently hired at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is under state investigation after she was terminated from her previous position and released from a reserve officer program.
Janean Strobert was hired as a jailer by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office on February 17, according to records from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council.
Prior to her hiring at CCSO, Strobert worked as an Investigator at the District Attorney’s Office in Chatham County until she was fired in December of 2025 after eleven months on the job. Her law enforcement career started at the Savannah Police Department in January 2019 and she worked there as both a patrol officer and a detective until she moved to the DA’s office. Throughout her time as an investigator at the DA’s Office, Strobert also served as a Reserve Officer for Savannah PD, meaning she could work extra-duty shifts coordinated through Savannah PD.
But a complaint brought forth by a concerned citizen spawned an investigation and ended her employment at both agencies.
Timeline
January 18, 2025 – Strobert submits a letter of resignation to Savannah PD with an effective date of February 1, 2025.
February 1, 2025 – Strobert transfers to a ‘Reserve Officer’ with Savannah PD.
February 3, 2025 – Strobert begins working full-time as an Investigator for the Eastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in Chatham County.
November 20, 2025 – A Complaint is submitted on the Public Portal for Savannah PD by ‘Wilmington Island Audit.’ It reads as follows:
A concerned Chatham County resident contacted us and reported that an investigator at the District Attorney’s Office, Janean Strobert, was working both for the District Attorney and as an SPD reserve officer working extra duty jobs at the same time and while being compensated by both entities. Ms. Strobert is a County employee.
We took steps to verify this “double dipping” concern by submitting open records requests to the County Attorney and the City of Savannah. We obtained the attached responses. These responses indicate that Investigator Strobert was receiving compensation from the City during what, we believe to be, the normal work hours of a District Attorney investigator.
Specifically, on the following dates it appears Ms. Strobert worked for the City of Savannah during part or all of the normal work hours of a District Attorney investigator, which is 8:00am to 5:00pm:
March 20, 21, 28;
April 17, 18, 25, 28;
May 2, 13, 22, 23, 27;
June 19, 27;
August 5, 26;
September 5, 26;
October 1, 2, 6, 7, 22, 23, 24; and
November 5, 6.
We attempted to verify if Investigator Strobert was on paid time off during these days/times. According to the information obtained from the County Attorney’s Office (attached) it does not appear that she was. I attempted to upload the excel spreadsheet that was provided by the Savannah Police Department showing the extra duty jobs she worked between 3/1 and 11/9, but that file was not able to upload. I converted it to a PDF and it is attached.
The accompanying documentation was attached and included all of the Savannah PD hours and all of the hours at the District Attorney’s Office.
November 25, 2025 – Savannah PD notifies Strobert that an administrative investigation is underway by the Office of Professional Standards. It lists allegations of Oath of Office (Conduct Unbecoming) and Outside Employment (Reputation). Strobert signs a Garrity Warning, which notes that truthful statements she offers in her interview cannot be used in any subsequent criminal proceedings, but false and misleading statements can be used in any subsequent criminal proceedings. All statements can be used in consideration of employment discipline. She consents to an interview.
Strobert’s Audio-Recorded Admissions
OPS Investigator: “Have you ever worked extra duty with the Savannah Police Department during your work hours for the county?”
Strobert: “What would be claimed to be my work hours if I’m on call and don’t have to be in the office, I have.”
OPS Investigator: “What is your work hours for the county?”
Strobert: “Typically 8-5, however, if we don’t have anything or deemed like off or what I would say I am ‘on-call’ then there’s nothing that I know that says I couldn’t work off duty unless I got called in and then I would be, would notify said off-duty “Hey, I got called in for an assignment, I need to leave.”
The OPS Investigator confirmed that Strobert worked 8:00-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, which Strobert confirmed but said they typically don’t go into the office on Fridays, and the Investigator asked her to clarify her ‘on call hours.’
Strobert: “For instance on, say Friday afternoon or even if we have an early day on a specific day in the week, if we are cut loose early, or say “Hey, you good. If I need you, I’ll call you.” I typically pick up an off-duty job or if I’m given notification, most of the time, something will go on and they’ll say “Just be by your phone,” I take that as an opportunity like OK I’m not doing anything, I don’t have any work on my desk, I can go and pick up off-duty but then if I get called and they say I need to be somewhere I need to go do something, I would, if it came up, which it really hadn’t, I would let the off-duty person know ‘Hey I have to leave early because I just got this call.’
The investigator asked her if she was still getting paid on the Fridays she doesn’t go into the office and Strobert said ‘yes.’
“I would typically get paid for just doing random stuff however, or doing stuff pertinent to that job while I’m on another job, I have done that, however, when I’m supposed to be in the office, I’m obviously in the office doing those things. Case in point, if I’m let loose or let go in that time span, there’s nothing in, like say the policy that were given to me by the county that said if you’re not in the office, you’re not allowed to work on other things while waiting to be called,” Strobert said.
The investigator pressed that her work hours for the off-duty were overlapping on hours where she wasn’t just “on-call,” but was being paid as a full-time employee of the county – such as a Friday when they work from home.
“If my wires were crossed with that then, hey, I have to take my situation as it is and do what I need to do to get back in good standing,” Strobert told him but said it was never her intention to do anything she wasn’t supposed to be doing.
OPS Investigator: “I think the question is, being released by them, I think it’s more of collecting two pay checks during the same hours for two jobs, if that, I think that’s it.”
Strobert replied that after the investigator explained it like that, she understood what he meant. “In my mind, I’m not thinking I’m not double dipping.”
The investigator asked Strobert if she thought receiving two checks for two jobs during the same work hours was conduct unbecoming of an officer. Strobert said she wasn’t doing what the status quo is or was, but she understood that for optics it was bad. She also said it was ‘out of her control’ that her DA’s office supervisors let her leave the office early.
At the conclusion of the interview, the investigator tells her that until the investigation is complete, she cannot work extra-duty jobs. He also asks her to return her gun, badge, and ID for Savannah PD.
November 25, 2025 – Savannah PD notifies Strobert in writing that she is released from the Reserve Officer program following “an administrative decision due to a complete investigation by the SPD Office of Professional Standards.”
Ultimately, Strobert is released from the Reserve Officer program and her release was recorded as a ‘Termination’ by POST.
December 10, 2025 – Strobert is terminated from her position at the District Attorney’s Office.
February 17, 2026 – Strobert is hired by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office as a jailer. She is the second Strobert to be hired by the agency.
POST said Monday that Strobert is currently under POST investigation.
Sheriff Coleman was investigated by both the GBI and POST several years ago for similar accusations. Records indicate he was under investigation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for allegations of stealing of time and double dipping. According to the POST Investigation case summary, “The district attorney decided not to prosecute because of a lack of pattern of violations.” It did not mention the allegations were unfounded. POST recommended revoking Coleman’s law enforcement certification, though he was later placed on Probation after agreeing to a Consent Order in August 2007.
Notably, Strobert, who became POST certified in 2019, has 1,142 POST training hours – only 226 fewer hours than Coleman’s 1,368 hours obtained since he became POST certified in 1995.
Strobert’s employment at CCSO brings the tally of employees terminated at their previous agency before being hired under the new administration to five. TheGeorgiaVirtue is investigating the employment backgrounds of other staff at the Sheriff’s Office on a rolling basis.
