I can tell you firsthand, there are few amenities in our jail. There is no smoking in the jail, no weight equipment and very little television time. What inmates can watch on TV and what they can read is restricted and used for our benefit. Being an inmate is not a free ride, either. They are charged for certain aspects of their incarceration, so they actually pay for a portion of the experience of being locked up.

Inmates help keep the jail clean and orderly. They sweep, mop and wax floors. They cook food and wash dishes in the kitchen. They do laundry, they paint, they disinfect the common areas, they sort food and commissary items, and they perform any and all other duties as needed. Inmates are not lazing around in Bradley County.

There are plenty of things that need to be done outside the jail, too. The BCSO’s Inmate Work Program has been a great success and allows qualified inmates to perform much-needed tasks outside in the community. This not only alleviates a lot of work that would otherwise have to be done by the county’s maintenance and roads department, it also offers great savings to the taxpayer in many areas.

I was very pleased with the year-end progress report from the BCSO’s inmate work program. The main objectives of the Work House Program are to provide services for the betterment of the Bradley County community by using inmate labor to save taxpayer money and instill a sense of accomplishment and self-worth in inmates who otherwise may not receive positive reinforcement.

Outside the jail, inmates perform a wide range of duties throughout Bradley County, including one crew that works full-time at the Tri-State Exhibition Center, one crew that assists the Road Department with their work, one crew at the BCSO garage helping to maintain our fleet, and two crews on roadside and litter cleanup, painting brickwork at schools, etc. Only low-risk inmates are allowed to participate in the outdoors program and they are well-supervised while away from the Justice Center. They do a good job and bring a positive attitude to any task to which they are assigned.

In 2008, the outside work crews completed projects at Lake Forest Middle School, Black Fox Elementary, Walker Valley High, Charleston Elementary, Bradley High, Tennessee Christian Academy, the Bradley County Justice Center, the 911 Center, Habitat for Humanity, the Tri-State Exhibition Center, and Union Grove Cemetery.

Again, I am especially proud of the inmate work program because of the money it saves taxpayers and the sense of purpose it gives the inmates themselves. I have found that many prisoners are anxious to do something constructive during their incarceration and the work program helps them do just that. The inmate work program continues to be a positive experience for everyone involved and my congratulations go out to the deputies who administer the program and the inmates who participate.

The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is located at 2290 Blythe Ave., SE, Cleveland 37311. Visit us online at: www.bradleysheriff.com. If you would like to contact me personally, email: comments@bradleysheriff.com

I am glad to report that during 2008, the BCSO continued a proactive and effective trend in solving crime and even catching more criminals in the act. Our clearance rate remains around 47 to 48 percent, which is still approximately 17 percent better than the national average. We continue looking at areas where we can improve and save money.

Some preliminary statistics for 2008, indicate a reduction in many crimes over the year before, including robbery, stolen property offenses, motor vehicle theft, arson and fraud. Drug/narcotic violations were down 36 percent, weapon laws violations were down 52 percent and aggravated assault was down 22 percent. Again, these are preliminary figures but they clearly show the BCSO is still achieving positive results thanks to the hard work of all our divisions.

The courts see a lot of activity on a day-to-day basis. Last year, there were 3,499 criminal warrants and 3,052 civil warrants served. In the area of court security, we had 60,355 people go through the magnotometer at the Justice Center alone. That is a lot of people and a lot of traffic and it serves to illustrate the importance of securing our courts. Without the security of magnotometers to screen for weapons and contraband, any unstable or criminally-minded individual with a grievance could potentially be a source of harm to judges, clerks and civilians within the courtroom. We still have a way to go in securing the Bradley County Courthouse, but we’re doing what we can with existing resources. We will do more as funding allows. Again, my thanks go out to the Judicial Services Division for their good work.

On a broader level, I received some good news a while back regarding fatalities among law enforcement officers nationwide. According the national statistics, the number of law enforcement personnel who were killed in the line of duty during 2008, including shooting deaths and fatal traffic accidents, was lower than the year before. Of the fatalities that did occur, most were the result of accidents, as opposed to criminal acts. That is a bitter-sweet statistic because a death is a death, but overall, this is welcome news for all law enforcement officers and their families.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors have credited the drop in fatalities to better training, equipment and tactics. This underscores what I have been saying all along about providing BCSO deputies with the best training and equipment we can afford. Since I have been sheriff, we have upgraded deputies’ equipment in many areas, including bullet-resistant vests. We have also added mandatory physical fitness training. If these men and women are going to be placed in harm’s way as part of their daily routine, the least I can do as sheriff is to create as safe an environment for them as I possibly can.

We cannot drop our guard or let up on proactive law enforcement for even a second because criminals will seize any opportunity to prey on a perceived weakness. The BCSO is a strong and effective organization and that is being reflected in reduced county crimes statistics.

Law enforcement is an inherently dangerous profession and we have had close calls on occasion. One close call occurred shortly after I took office in the fall of 2006, when Sgt. Bill Coultry was hit several times by gunfire during a random act of violence committed by a mentally unstable individual. His bullet-resistant vest was credited with saving his life. What a lot of people don’t know is that Sgt. Coultry’s vest was so worn and thread-bare that he had taken the initiative to replace the plates in his vest at his own expense. That is exactly the type of situation I have worked so hard to correct and I am glad to report that we have met with much success.

And we will not rest. The BCSO continues providing the highest quality and most cost-effective law enforcement and crime prevention services possible for the citizens of Bradley County.

At the BCSO, we are always looking at new ways to conserve energy and save taxpayer money.  One measure we have recently put into practice is an additional “lights-out” period in the jail. It is standard procedure that lights be turned out between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. But in the interest of conserving even more, we have added an extra two hours of lights-out from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in nine day rooms and exercise areas.

Of course, “lights-out” doesn’t mean the jail is ever completely dark. TCI regulations require that jail cells can never be completely dark. When we turn off the big lights, night lights automatically turn on. This is obviously a safety measure. But by turning off the big lights for an extra two hours a day we will be able to realize an extra savings on our energy bills.

As a reminder, we have an on-going fuel conservation policy that saves gasoline while maintaining vital law enforcement services. Fortunately, we have enjoyed lower fuel costs the past couple of months that has further helped save money. Oil fell below $39 a barrel and prices at the pump were the lowest they’ve been in five years. That was certainly welcome news to consumers, including the BCSO. We actually realized an approximate savings of over $20,000 on our last monthly fuel bill, compared to our bills a few months ago. Lower prices probably won’t hold and we have already seen them creep back up a little. But at least, the lower costs for fuel has offered a welcome reprieve. Hopefully, the prices won’t reach the high levels of last fall. If they hold at or near current levels, we probably will not need additional money in our fuel budget this year.

I am a supporter of conservation and innovation. I believe our nation needs to increase domestic oil exploration and production to increase energy supplies and help reduce costs. We should also explore innovative “green” technology and other alternate energy sources to help reduce American dependence on foreign oil and to protect our environment.

Some of these alternative energy options include solar technology, wind technology, hydroelectric technology, fuel cell technology, hybrid technology, domestic natural gas supplies and technology, bio-fuels technology, clean coal technology, nuclear power technology and others. One area that may hold some promise for the BCSO is solar and wind power generation as the cost of installing these technologies is reduced. Hybrid technology, fuel cell technology and biofuels may also be in our future as they develop and become practical. Anyway, by exploring and implementing these alternatives we can better preserve our environment and, over time, achieve sustainable, renewable energy sources that will help provide American energy independence and save taxpayer money on public building utilities and vehicles.

I believe the economic uncertainties we face as a nation are temporary and I remain optimistic that America’s future is bright. We have led the world in innovation and resourcefulness and I feel we can continue in that role.

Anyone who questions whether the U.S. has a rich Christian heritage can take a quick look at the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, most all state constitutions, most all inaugural addresses, speeches of our founding fathers, national symbols, and even Washington D.C. architecture. They all stand as testaments to our Christian heritage.

The Declaration of Independence states that all people are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.” This same document also makes reference to “the Supreme Judge of the world,” and a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”

We hear a lot about the separation of church and state. The U.S. Constitution in the Bill of Rights does address religion, but not in the context of something that should be removed from American  life; rather, as something that should be part of it. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...”

When studying the framers’ intent and records associated with the deliberations to establish the Constitution, it is clear the first half of that phrase is not meant to remove God from American life, but to keep one Christian religion from being elevated over another by establishing it as the official “state” religion, as had been done with the Anglican Church in England.

The second half of that phrase makes it clear that the fledgling American government was not to interfere with the free exercise of religion. Rather than prohibiting religion in the affairs of men, they were in essence promoting and encouraging it. Additionally, when taken in the historical context of the day, it is also clear the founders were referring to the Christian religions that were established in the thirteen colonies. As evidence, consider the quote by founder George Mason: “All men have equal, natural and inalienable right to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and no particular sect or society of Christians ought to be favored or established by law in preference to others.”

In his book, The Silencing of God, the Dismantling of our Christian Heritage, Dr. Dave Miller identifies and lists 45 of the 50 State Constitution Preambles as being examples of our Christian heritage. A good example of this can be found in the State of North Carolina Preamble, which reads, “We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence on Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our prosperity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.”

Dr. Miller also cites that every single U.S. president who has taken the Oath of Office was sworn in with his hand on the Bible and alluded to the Biblical God in his inaugural address. This is further proof of our Christian heritage in the public affairs of this nation. George Washington referred to God in his inaugural address as “that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect ...”

In his book, Winning the Future, Newt Gingrich writes, “Every American who visits the national capital should take some time to witness the power and centrality of God in American history. The next time your friends contend that we are not guaranteed religious liberties in public and do not need to be taught about God in history and government classes, simply ask them to take this guided tour.”

As examples, Gingrich notes symbols of our Christian heritage enshrined in D.C. architecture and displays that are associated with the White House, Capitol building, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Supreme Court building and others.

All combined, these symbols and documentation leave no doubt that this nation was founded on Christian principles and is, in fact, a Christian nation. Instead of dismantling our Christian heritage as some seek to do, we as a people and as a nation should embrace and preserve it. Our Christian heritage is what made us strong and will be what determines our strength in the future ~ “In God we trust.”

With this in mind, I have opened the doors of the Bradley County jail to churches and ministries in our community who want to hold Bible studies for those who are incarcerated. Inmates are not required or forced to attend these studies and we do not give any preferential treatment to one religion over another.

As I have often said, I do not believe the physical act of locking someone up changes them. Yes, the law requires it, and yes, by keeping criminals off the street we protect law-abiding citizens. I certainly support that. Those who commit crimes, especially serious crimes, should be locked up for a long time because there is a consequence for breaking the laws of the land and causing harm to innocent people. Prison sentences protect our community and serve as a deterrent to those considering breaking the law.

But does incarceration alone change the inner man? Does incarceration touch the soul, the conscience? Does it genuinely affect the desire to do right instead of wrong, the desire to turn from old, harmful habits and develop new, positive ones? I don’t believe so. What does have the power to change and alter the inner man is our Lord, Jesus Christ. God changes people through His Son, and He can bless and change nations.

I believe in doing all I can to preserve protect and defend our nation’s Christian heritage. One way I can help is to offer all those who have broken the law and have a genuine desire to fundamentally change their behavior an opportunity to do so by studying God’s Word at the jail and discovering hope for their future through Jesus Christ. This is the best way of changing people, changing communities and, ultimately, changing nations.

Our goal should be for all those who come through the doors of our jail to serve their time and never return. Jesus offers them this opportunity. If you would like to participate in helping those in need by conducting Bible studies for those incarcerated or if you can help provide food, clothing, shelter or jobs for those being released from jail to help give them Christian influence and support, contact Sgt. Anderson Sanders at (423) 423-9556, who is assisted by our Jail Ministry Chaplain Herb Conley.

May our nation always retain its Christian heritage and find favor with God.