State Mourns Passing Of DNR Captain Stan Elrod

I don’t recall exactly how or when I first met Stan Elrod, suffice to say it was in the mid to late 1990s when I was a young editor at GON and Stan was an even younger DNR game warden.

I do clearly remember the morning in February 2007 when Stan called and asked if I could meet him for lunch. He didn’t say why and I didn’t ask—maybe there was a case he wanted to talk about, maybe he just wanted to invite me hunting, or maybe GON had published something he was concerned about. That last possibility—that GON was sideways with DNR Law Enforcement—I’m sure caused me some anxiety as I drove north on Highway 441 from Madison. You see, we were already more than a little sideways with many game wardens. A few years before two words had been written, a derogatory term for game wardens meant to be light-hearted that should have never been printed. Two words taught me a valuable lesson… GON can publish tens of thousands of words in hundreds of pages, positive and supportive words month after month, but two words can get you canceled.

Stan and I sat in a Waffle House booth off the Athens bypass, and he asked for GON’s help. The next day I rode to Atlanta, to the state capitol, and along with more than 75 DNR Law Enforcement officers we met with legislators. Low salaries, combined with significant hits on staff numbers and worn-out equipment, had taken a toll on morale. That year was an inflection point for many DNR rangers—their salaries were so low compared to other agencies that it didn’t make much sense to be a game warden. Dozens had already quit.

DNR Officers Head To Capitol

In 2006, Stan Elrod, then Sgt. Elrod, had been elected the first president of the newly formed Georgia Ranger Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). In less than a year, membership grew to 170 officers.

“I have a great job,” Stan said in a 2007 GON article. “I love what I do. These people love their jobs. These are not the type of people to gripe, and we’re not complaining now. We just need help. We’re losing good people.”

In February 2007, more than 75 POST-certified officers from DNR traveled to the capitol to ask for help from legislators with salary issues, reduced positions and worn-out equipment.

Compare the current status of DNR Law Enforcement in Georgia to back in 2007 when rangers had to put on coat and tie and head to the capitol in Atlanta. Now, positions are being filled not cut, salaries are comparable to other agencies, and it’s now the DNR Law Enforcement Division—and that division status is not insignificant in state government.

Every man and woman of DNR Law Enforcement now and in the future owes a tip of the cap to the efforts of Stan Elrod back in 2007.

What many who didn’t know Stan personally didn’t realize was that at the same time he was leading the charge to basically save DNR Law Enforcement from a mass exodus of fine men and women, he was also involved in a non-profit organization. In 2005, Stan began volunteering to take kids hunting and fishing through The Outdoor Dream Foundation, which grants outdoor adventures to children who have chronic, often life-threatening illnesses. Stan was an executive board member for ODF and president of the Georgia chapter. He led an annual fundraising banquet at Hull Baptist Church, and it became a legendary event for its community support, good will and for the amount of money raised for a fantastic cause.

Stan Elrod and Outdoor Dream Foundation hunter Chip Madren at a pheasant hunt on a snowy day in northeast Georgia last February.

After last year’s banquet, Stan was excited to talk about his dream to expand the event to a much larger facility—the church was awesome, but they sold out more than 300 tickets every year. Stan envisioned selling twice or three times as many tickets and raising so much more money for the kids and their families.

Outdoor Dream Foundation 2020 Banquet In Madison County

Captain Stan Elrod, who led Region 2 of DNR’s Law Enforcement Division, died yesterday evening Sept. 3, 2020 around 7:30 p.m in Madison County. The specific details haven’t been released, but apparently he had gone for a run and was hit by a car. Stan was 49 years old and had been with DNR since 1993.

Gov. Brian Kemp said this morning, in part, “Yesterday, we lost a great man. Captain Stan Elrod was a proud husband, father and public servant who worked tirelessly to positively impact people’s lives. His death is devastating for his family, colleagues, and the State of Georgia. Please join Marty, the girls and I in praying for his loved ones as they mourn.”

As we pray for peace and comfort for Stan’s wife Julie and sons Levi and Luke, and for his friends and fellow law enforcement brothers and sisters, let Stan Elrod be a testament not just for what we have lost with his passing, but let Stan Elrod be a testament at what’s been gained through his life and contributions. Those gains ripple and spread from Madison County and northeast Georgia, across the entire state and across the country through families he has directly impacted through ODF. Those ripples continue to grow and spread, they will not fade away.

Captain Stan Elrod