Poulan is a city in Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 709 in 2026. Poulan is part of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.
Poulan is notable for its police department's speed trap tactics from 2006 to 2024,and reported criminal activity by city and police leadership.
History
The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Poulan as a town in 1889. The city was named for Judge W. A. Poulan. The remnants of what was once a bank and pharmacy are still standing on Broad Street. Poulan is also home to the only two historical registered properties in Worth County; the Poulan Library and Possum Poke. Schlosser was never charged with a crime, and no outside investigation was conducted.
In September 2012, then Poulan Mayor, Dustin Grubbs, was arrested in Dougherty County and charged with felony possession of various narcotic prescription pills including oxycodone, oxycontin, and two different mixtures of Vicodin in different dosages. Grubbs remained the Mayor of Poulan until his death in October 2020.
In August 2017, Rosemary Jones, a police officer employed by Poulan Police, was arrested and charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with two counts of felony cruelty to children in the first degree, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of felony false imprisonment. She was retained by the Poulan Police Department, and promoted to Major. Larry Whisenant, the current Poulan Police Chief has never been investigated or prosecuted, despite multiple former officers and investigative journalists detailing incidents of criminal activity. The City of Poulan posted a photo on their website showcasing the relationship that Larry Whisenant has with the Georgia Governor's Office, specifically GA Governor Brian Kemp. has repeatedly defended the enforcement tactics, as well as the Worth County Sheriff and Warwick Police Departments. Worth County officials (including a member of the County Commission) and City of Poulan officials, admitted that Poulan required the revenue from speed related citations because their tax base was so small.
Between 2008 and 2012, Poulan is estimated to have received $1,676,402.80 (a per-capita amount of $2,012.49) from their Police Department's tactics inside the Poulan city limits on U.S. Route 82 (GA State Route 520). Residents of Poulan have publicly voiced their concern over their police department's tactics multiple times with department leadership specifically denying quotas for summons and citations for traffic related offenses..
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 epidemic, Worth County Sheriff Don Whitaker deputized members of the Poulan Police Department so that county ordinances specifically related to COVID-19 regulations could be enforced by Poulan Police Officers inside the city limits of Poulan, GA.
Geography
Poulan is located at (31.513739, -83.791041). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km), all land.
Demographics
As of the census