Pictured above with Deputy Michaels (from left) are essay winners Brody Baliles, Sara Holden, Levi Rose, and John Brown.   

 The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution lays out some basic guiding principles for the individual states to follow; that is, establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare and securing the “blessings of liberty” to ourselves, our children and our children’s children.

The Preamble is just one short paragraph that introduces the Constitution, but it is rich in meaning and intent and reaffirms every U.S. citizen’s right to freedom and the pursuit of the American dream. The intent of the founding fathers was that the federal government should concentrate on these principles and allow the new nation to govern itself according to the will of the people.

The role of government, reduced to its common denominator, is to protect and defend its citizens. No nation can prosper unless its people are secure, safe and free. This is not to say there aren’t other important roles of government, such as helping sustain the economy and educating a workforce; but nothing is more important than the safety of the people.

In my experience as a Secret Service agent, Emergency Management Director, 911 board member, Cleveland City Councilman, District III Homeland Security Council member and Bradley County Sheriff, I have seen the impact national security and public safety have on a community and nation. Jobs, new industry, real estate, education, economic growth, leisure activities and tourism must all have a safe environment if they are to flourish and prosper. That is why the BCSO has worked so hard to develop effective partnerships between governments, businesses, public safety officials and citizens to protect our community and meet threats of crime and violence head-on. Among other things, we have worked to fight the flow of drugs into our area, to encourage anti-drug education in schools, to control illegal immigration into the county and to be prepared for potential disasters.

When crime and violence are allowed to get foot holds in an area, law-abiding people will begin to leave, families will look to other places to relocate, businesses will shut down and industry will not come into that area. There is a direct connection between safety, security and jobs.

With Volkswagen in Hamilton County, Wacker Chemical in Bradley County, the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge and continued growth elsewhere, our entire area has made great economic strides. But that doesn’t mean it can’t all disappear if we don’t have safe streets and neighborhoods. The terrorist threats from around the world and continued gang and drug violence in southeast Tennessee should concern all of us when our state already ranks in the top five states for violent crime per capita.

We should never underestimate the importance of national security, homeland security and community security. By doing so, we will further set the stage for improving our whole area by protecting people and sustaining and increasing economic opportunities for all.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office has posted rewards seeking the public’s help identifying suspects in the intentional killing of several farm animals in separate parts of the county.  

The Criminal Investigations Division is working to identify those involved in the weekend shooting of a Texas Longhorn Steer. 

On Sunday, deputies were called to a farm on North Mouse Creek Road to investigate a 9-1-1 call of gunfire. Shortly after they arrived deputies were told a steer valued from $2,500 to $5,000 had been shot.  A person nearby heard the gunshot and reported seeing a vehicle leave the area.  

The owner of the farm and the BCSO are jointly offering a reward up to $1,500 for information that gives investigators leads for an arrest and conviction.   

Detectives are also working a case involving the killing of several Elk since early last year at a farm on Hunt Road in the southern part of the county.  

Today the owner of the Elk added $5,000 to the earlier amount of $1,000 that will be paid for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons who killed the Elk. 

The sheriff’s office bases the amount paid for rewards on the significance of the information in solving the crime.    

Anyone with knowledge of either case should contact the BCSO Crime Tip Hotline, 423-728-7336.  Information can be left anonymously if the caller wishes.  

A Marietta Georgia woman is charged with possessing approximately 100 pounds of marijuana that was in the trunk of her car when Bradley County detectives stopped her on I-75 last night.   

Drug Interdiction detectives observed the woman’s car weaving and noted her speed at 40 miles-an-hour. A traffic stop was conducted near the 27 mile marker. When she rolled down a window to talk to the detective the odor of raw marijuana was detected. 

A consent search was conducted and large bundles of marijuana in four garbage bags were found in the car’s trunk. 

Kemoy K. Josephs

28-year-old Kemoy K. Josephs was charged with possession of marijuana for resale, impeding the flow of traffic, and failure to maintain lane.  Bond is set at $20,000 and her next court appearance is February 23rd in General Sessions Court.  

Sheriff Tim Gobble said this arrest and another last year where detectives seized 50 pounds of marijuana shows the quantities of marijuana, cocaine, meth and other dangerous substances that are being transported daily on I-75.   

Gobble said through the Drug Enforcement Unit’s efforts the marijuana will not reach the streets of an American city. 

Evidence technicians Emily Hamstra and Monica Datz place bundles of plastic-wrapped marijuana in the Cyvac as Sheriff Tim Gobble and Capt.Steve Lawson watch. The Cyvac is a vacuum chamber that is helpful developing fingerprints on materials where they are not easily attainable.