Email scams are becoming more and more popular with crooks because of the ease in which they can extort and/or trick innocent people out of their savings without getting up from their computer or leaving the comfort of their home.
 
Computer users are encouraged to update their security software from time to time and be mindful of the spam that routinely appears in their email in-box. Needless to say, never click on an email link unless you know who is sending the link. And even then, think twice.
 
You probably already know about the scammers who send realistic-looking documents claiming to be a representative of your bank or credit union or even the IRS. Sometimes they tell you there is a problem with your account that needs immediate attention, sometimes they tell you there is money in your account you don’t know about. But they always want you to send them information about yourself, or they want you to click on a link they have provided.
 
Then there are the scammers who want to give you millions of dollars if you will help them get billions out of another country or a foreign bank. Scammers have also use phony E-Bay account updates sent out to thousands of people, even though many of the people who receive them have never used E-Bay before and do not have accounts there. Again, they want your info or they want you to click on a link they provide.

I would like to offer my congratulations to the 10th Judicial Drug Task Force, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. The 10th District, which covers Bradley, Polk, McMinn and Monroe counties, operates under the guidance of a board of directors and District Attorney General R. Steven Bebb, and I am proud to serve on the DTF board along with other area sheriffs and chiefs of police. 

Our own BCSO drug unit has worked closely with the DTF and other area drug units over the years to effectively stem the flow of illegal narcotics into and through Bradley County, as well as the entire 10th District.
 
As a voting board member of the DTF, I recently joined with other board members in a decision to share some of the DTF drug proceeds among the nine district law enforcement member agencies that help support the DTF through annual fees and services. The BCSO is pleased to have received a one-time $50,000 grant from those DTF proceeds and we will put the money to good use in our own drug program. A ceremony was held at the Hampton Inn in Athens on Thursday (March 27, 2008) to dispense a total of $450,000 among the nine member agencies.
 
The DTF is the second largest multi-jurisdictional drug unit in Tennessee with 16 full-time agents. Typically, units like the DTF only have a life span of three to five years. For this unit to have operated, and operated so successfully, for 20 years is commendable.
 
The BCSO drug unit has enjoyed a close working relationship with many area drug units and we look forward to maintaining these relationships for many years to come. It is through these cooperative efforts that law enforcement is most effective and I will continue to advocate for this type of cooperation as long as I am sheriff.
 
Also, this week, I would like to extend my congratulations to BCSO Deputy Doug Towne, who traveled to Washington D.C. recently as part of a select team which participated in a focus group discussing the successful Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative (SS/HS) program in Bradley County.