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BradleySheriff.com
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Written by Tim Gobble, Sheriff
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 |
I really enjoyed participating in Cleveland’s big Christmas parade last weekend. One of my favorite parts of this job is being able to get out in the community and meet people one-on-one. The parade was a great kick-off to the holiday season and afforded a terrific opportunity to come together, celebrate Christmas and acknowledge public service agencies, merchants and local folks. We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful counties in Tennessee with so many friendly and helpful neighbors. I wish you all well this season and remind you to stay safe while you enjoy the company of family and friends.
This coming week, on December 15, the country will be celebrating “Bill of Rights Day.” This day may not be as well known as some other special days in December, but it marks a landmark event in the history of our great nation. The Bill of Rights is that document that specifically ensures many of the basic rights we often take for granted. The official day of recognition was designated by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, and is a good opportunity for people to reacquaint themselves with this very important and unique document.
Originally, the U.S. Constitution was more focused on establishing an operable and effective federal government than on individual rights. It was only after much contentious debate that a Bill of Rights was ratified. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Madison, “A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth.” In other words, it is a safeguard against any repressive regime or political faction that might gain control of the three branches of government and wish to move our representative republic in directions the founders never intended.
It’s interesting to note that some members of the First Congress felt the Bill of Rights to be unnecessary because those rights were already guaranteed and there was nothing in the Constitution empowering Congress to take citizens’ rights away. In the end, the Bill of Rights was adopted, clearly and legally defining some of our most cherished rights, such as the right to free speech, gun ownership, unreasonable search and seizure, peaceful assembly, due process of law, state rights and so on, including the Ninth Amendment, which protects other individual rights not specifically covered in the Bill of Rights. Since its ratification, judiciaries as high up as the Supreme Court have relied on the Bill of Rights for their decisions.
As sheriff, it is my sworn duty to protect and defend the rights of all citizens. As both a U.S. Secret Service agent and sheriff, I took an oath of office to protect and uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights attached to it.
I wish all Americans would take time to reflect upon the freedoms we all enjoy. There are so many nations around the world that don’t care about the rights of their citizens. In fact, it is the freedoms afforded every U.S. citizen that has motivated other people from all over the world to come here and build a better life for themselves, their loved ones and future generations.
Lastly, I want to congratulate the Voices of Lee on being selected to appear on the NBC television show, “The Sing Off.” Lee University has been a positive and productive part of the Bradley County community for decades, beginning as a small religious college and growing into a world-class university. So many Lee students who came to us from other parts of the country have remained here after graduation to work and raise families. The Voices of Lee, led by Danny Murray, have been representing their school and community with professionalism and pride for 15 years. I wish them much success on the upcoming TV show.
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Written by B. Gault, Public Information Office
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Tuesday, 08 December 2009 |
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The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for any information about the Monday robbery of a truck driver while he was parked on the northbound exit ramp of I-75 at Charleston updating his log.
The trucker from Hickory North Carolina said while he was working on the log he noticed a white Ford F-150 truck had stopped behind his rig. A white male got out of that vehicle, walked to the cab of his truck and demanded money. The truck driver said the man kept one hand in a pocket, telling him that he had a weapon. The suspect got away with $389 and a pocket knife. He is approximately 40 years old, brown hair with a goatee, and was wearing a brown jacket. He left in the Ford truck with Georgia registration that was driven by a woman. Bradley County Sheriff’s investigators said the robbery occurred around 2:45 p.m. Anyone with information is asked the contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 423-728-7336.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 December 2009 )
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Written by B. Gault, Public Information Office
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Thursday, 03 December 2009 |
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The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office will conduct sobriety checkpoints in various locations across the county on weekends through the New Year’s holiday period. Locations and times for checkpoints are not announced in advance but each was chosen after an examination of data showing locations of previous DUI arrests and other traffic violations. The sheriff’s offices’ increased enforcement comes at a time of the year when Bradley County typically experiences an increase in traffic accidents and fatalities. At checkpoints deputies will watch for motorists who’ve had too much to drink and will check for compliance with seat belt laws. Fourteen people have lost their lives in traffic accidents this year in Bradley County surpassing 2008’s count of eleven. In Tennessee and most states the blood alcohol limit for adults is point 08 percent and point 02 percent for persons 16 to 21 years old. Sheriff Tim Gobble said during the holidays we each need to do our part to have a positive impact on reducing traffic accidents and the needless loss of life.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 December 2009 )
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Written by B. Gault, Public Information Office
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Friday, 04 December 2009 |
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Acting on information initially provided by the Chattanooga Police Department Violent Crime Unit, ATF, U.S. Marshall’s Service, the FBI, the Bradley County Sheriffs Office SWAT Team and Criminal Investigations Division along with Capt Steve Lawson and Sheriff Tim Gobble, located and freed unharmed an alleged kidnap / hostage victim being held in a wooded area off Georgetown Road near Francisco Road. The incident began when a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle was spotted near I-75 and Paul Huff Parkway near where an alleged ransom drop was to be made. The driver of that vehicle was taken into custody during a felony traffic stop conducted near Petco as he left the drop area. BCSO SWAT team members then raided a hotel room being utilized by the suspects at the Exclusive Quarters, Paul Huff Parkway and I-75, where automatic weapons, money and drugs were recovered. Through additional cooperative investigative efforts between Chattanooga PD, BCSO and the FBI, the BCSO SWAT team and CID investigators responded to a wooded area off Georgetown Road near Francisco Road located and freed the alleged hostage and took one additional suspect into custody. A
9mm handgun was seized during this incident. Two additional females possibly connected to the plot were also located and detained as they were observed near the hotel room off Paul Huff. Sheriff Tim Gobble praised the work of the Chattanooga Police Department, the ATF, FBI, U.S. Marshall’s, BCSO CID and SWAT for their quick action and response. He also thanked BCSO and Cleveland Police Department K-9 units for their response to locate evidence in the wooded area. The Sheriff also related, “This incident emphasizes the importance of being well trained and equipped to respond quickly and forcefully against heavily armed criminals to protect victims and the public alike.” All suspects were transferred to Chattanooga where the Chattanooga Police Department and Federal authorities continue their investigation. Charges against the suspects in Bradley County are also pending. A search of the wooded area for additional evidence resumes this morning. Further inquiries should be made with the Chattanooga Police Department and / or the FBI.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 )
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Written by Tim Gobble, Sheriff
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Wednesday, 02 December 2009 |
The BCSO Special Deputy Church Protection Program graduated its first 10 participants recently after completion of a required 80-hour training program at the Bradley County Sheriff's Office. As far as I know, this innovative program is the only one of its kind in the nation and I am proud we developed and implemented it.
The program, which began last January and covered many relevant aspects of law enforcement training, is designed as a proactive approach to preventing violence in local churches. These well-trained church deputies have specific law enforcement powers, including the right to carry a gun, and serve as protectors for their respective church bodies. If a violent aggressor should come into their congregation and open fire, they will be on the scene with a level of training and the means to take action to hopefully bring the situation to an immediate stop.
Applicants to the Special Deputy Church Protection Program are required to pass a background investigation, meet the same minimum qualifications as a full time deputy sheriff (with the exception of attending a police academy), and show proof of a bond, as any liability pursuant to State law will remain with the individual or organization. Participating churches must meet 501(c)(3) requirements, have had a physical meeting location for at least the last 12 months and an attendance of at least 50 people. The special deputy candidates are selected by the church from well known, regularly-attending members who are in good standing and who are trustworthy, mature and responsible.
The church protection program has been well-received by most local churches and most people in the community. It also reflects my commitment to every law-abiding citizen’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for our own protection. I want every church in Bradley County that would like such a partnership with the BCSO to have this option available to them. The program is purely voluntary and offered as a means of safe-guarding our worship services from armed intruders and a level of training that may not be available otherwise.
I have always encouraged a strong partnership between the community and public service agencies. History has shown that Americans excel when we take responsibility for ourselves, our families and our property instead of depending on the government to do everything for us. That is not to say people should take the law into their own hands ~ they most certainly should not; but through the cooperative efforts of community watch groups and law enforcement agencies, we can send a strong, unified and effective message that in Bradley County we will not tolerate or allow ourselves to live in fear of violent criminals.
The next Special Deputy Church Protection Program class is scheduled to begin in January of 2010. For more information, or if you would like to obtain an application packet, contact the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office at (423) 728 7300 or download the application packet from the “Volunteer Programs” section at the BCSO web site.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 December 2009 )
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