Deputies with the Traffic Unit within the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office are not certified to operate speed detection devices, state records show, and the lack of certification could jeopardize citations stemming from traffic stops initiated by speed detection devices.
At the center of the issue are two deputies hired by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in the last several months and assigned to the Traffic Unit. The unit is composed of five Road Runners, which patrol municipal and unincorporated streets, and five Strikes, who focus on highways and parkways.
In August 2025, Coleman spoke to WTOC about the traffic unit and stated that the unit was formulated “from the concerns of concerned citizens” about traffic safety and speeding.
Deputies Steve Delgado-Molina and Scott Maciver, both seasoned law enforcement officers, were among those hired and assigned to the Traffic Unit, but problematically, neither possess certifications needed to operate speed detection devices.
Records obtained by TheGeorgiaVirtue.com from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Council indicate that Delagdo-Molina and Maciver completed training courses in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but did not complete the state mandated requirements to obtain an actual certification to operate a radar.
Radar Certification Governed by State Law, Georgia POST Council
Under Georgia law and by the standards set forth by the POST Council, merely completing the course, even successfully, is not sufficient for using a radar or laser detection device for the basis of traffic stops.
OCGA 35-8-12 states:
“Each person operating radar speed or laser detection devices shall satisfactorily complete a course of instruction in the theory and application of speed detection device operation as a condition for certification…” (emphasis added)
Similarly, the application processed by POST in compliance with Georgia law, dictates that a peace officer must take the course again if they do not also complete 16 clock hours of speed detection over the course of 21 days in the field after the educational course and then submit an application within 18 months. The clock hours in the field must be completed in the presence of another radar certified officer who signs off on the training hours. Once the required field training hours and the application are submitted to POST, a Radar Operator number is provided to the peace officer. This is also outlined in POST Rule 464-10-.07 Application for Certification
Georgia law prohibits the use of radar and laser detection devices by peace officers without a radar certification. OCGA 35-8-12 also reads:
“Should any person fail to complete successfully the training requirements for operation of speed detection devices, he or she shall not perform any functions related to the use of the devices until such training shall have been successfully completed and until such time as the council shall issue appropriate certification.” (emphasis added)
Radar Certifications of Chatham Deputies
According to POST records, Delgado-Molina, who was hired by CCSO in February 2025, completed the LIDAR speed measurement course and the Radar Operator Training Course in October 2018, but has not received a formal certification. He took the ‘Radar Refresher’ course in January 2020, but still, no application was submitted to POST.
POST records similarly show that Scott Maciver, who was hired by CCSO in July 2025, completed the Speed Detection Operator course in March 2019 and took a retest in March 2021, but no application was ever submitted to finalize the certification.
It is unclear if the deputies, who worked at different agencies at the time of completion of their courses, never completed the field training hours with a certification holder or if they did log the hours and simply did not submit the paperwork to POST. The responsibility rests on the peace officer to obtain the certification, but on the agency to ensure those operating speed detection devices are properly certified.
Neither POST record reflects a certification of any kind and consequently, neither individual is authorized to operate any type of speed detection device.
Consequences
Any speeding citation issued by a deputy who is not certified to operate the speed detection device would not be prosecutable. Similarly, the county could be required to return the money paid by individuals who have already had citations adjudicated in court.
Three different individuals who spoke to TheGeorgiaVirtue about the matter indicated the citation count for the uncertified radar use exceeds 500.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is also a recipient of grant funds for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for some of the traffic unit operations. In the past, GOHS has required agencies to return grant funds when it was discovered they were not in compliance with grant terms.
When Coleman spoke to WTOC in August about the traffic unit, he mentioned that there was plenty of room to grow. It is unclear if he meant in terms of unit members or in terms of compliance with state law.
As of December 9, 2025 neither of the deputies have the certification. If you have been cited for a traffic violation by these deputies in the last twelve months, you should contact the Chatham County Recorders Court regarding the status of your citation.
