_{Let me ask you a question. Are any of you spending the same amount for gasoline that you were spending three years ago? Or even last year? If your livelihood depends upon traveling or being on the road or using your automobile in any way, are your gasoline bills the same as they were three years ago? Are they lower? Are they higher?}

_{I doubt anyone can answer that their gas expenses are lower today than they were three years ago, or even lower than they were last year. How much more, then, does that apply to a law enforcement agency charged with protecting a community comprising 333 square miles?}

_{Three years ago, the BCSO fuel budget, as set by the Bradley County Commission, was $277,756. In this past budget, that fuel allowance ~ in the face or ever-increasing fuel costs ~ was $275,000. That is actually $2,756 less than three years ago. No where else in the country have fuel costs decreased over the last three years. Yet, our commission has seen fit to budget the BSCO fuel needs at $2,756 less this year than three years ago!}

<sub>This gas problem is compounded by the fact that we have increased patrols in the county. Understand that Bradley County is made of up of four zones. Each of these county zones is larger in land mass than the entire city of Cleveland, and similar in population. On a recent Thursday evening, the city of Cleveland had close to 20 officers covering the city. On that same Thursday evening (as with every evening), the county had two deputies per zone (a total of eight deputies covering the entire county). Remember, each zone is larger in size than the entire city and similar in population. I don’t think two deputies per zone is too many.

When I took office in September 2006, there was often only one deputy per county zone. In other words, four deputies to cover an area over four times larger than the city (the county being 333 sq. mi., the city being 25 sq. mi.). One of the first changes I made as sheriff was to reassign top-heavy BCSO management and shift those resources to the field. In this way I was able to, first of all, increase starting pay for deputies from approximately $24,000 a year to $26,000 (city police officers start out at $32,000); and secondly,  I increased county patrols to two deputies per zone instead of just one deputy per zone (two per zone is minimal; we really need more).

Shifting resources to the field and increasing patrols has proven instrumental in a 30 percent reduction in burglaries in the county last year over the year before, and an overall clearance rate of all crime in Bradley County by 45 percent. That clearance rate is actually 15 percent above the national average. Obviously, adding another patrol deputy to each zone increased gasoline usage. But it has also increased security for the citizens of Bradley County, as well as the deputies who patrol the four county zones.

When I took office, I knew gas prices and calls for service would increase because of the growing population, and I asked the county commission that $55,000 be added to the existing fuel budget in order to accommodate the anticipated increase. They made the choice not to give the BCSO an increase, but to fund us $2,756 less than three years before.

There has been a continual and unfair barrage of criticism aimed at the BCSO ever since I took office and it is harmful to the citizens of Bradley County. I have even read where some commissioners are actually calling on the BCSO to park our patrol cars and pull our drug cars out of service. I cannot overstate how ill-advised such a course of action would be. My command staff and I have been brainstorming on ways to compensate for the fuel shortfall, and we have been able to identify a combined $70,000 from other operational line items that can be transferred without substantially impacting operations in an adverse way. But this is a temporary fix at best and further transfers would require cutting services, which I do not consider a viable option.

The BCSO is statutorily mandated to keep the peace, investigate crime, patrol the roadways, protect the courts, serve criminal and civil warrants, and operate the county jail. Additionally, our duties and  responsibilities cover a whole host of other areas relating to public safety, including protecting schools, traffic enforcement, environmental enforcement, and disaster preparedness and response (whether natural or manmade).

I won’t reiterate all the cost-cutting measures we have implemented at the BCSO or all the savings we have been able to achieve, as I have already done so a number of times in the past. To familiarize yourself with accurate and unfiltered information regarding the operations of the BCSO, visit this website often. I think we have done a remarkable job with limited resources; or, in the case of fuel, reduced resources.

The BCSO continues to perform in an exemplary manner. I credit the many positive accomplishments of the Sheriff’s Office to the exceptional performance and dedication of BCSO deputies. And I will continue to make their case as often and as vocally as I can. They deserve no less.

As ever, if you want to find out more about the BCSO or if you want to read the stories you won’t find anywhere else, visit our website. If you want to contact me directly with confidential and/or candid comments, you can email me at comments@bradleysheriff.com. I always enjoy hearing from you. There are solutions to every problem, and together we will find them.</sub>

 The findings of an extensive state audit of the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office found no wrong-doing on the part of the BCSO regarding purchases made with the county credit card and following county policy regulating credit card use.

However, the audit did conclude that, in their opinion, there were a few purchases made for items other than emergencies or travel, and they recommended adhering to the county purchase order system in non-emergency situations. Even so, the auditors agreed that the county’s credit card policy did not prohibit such use and if it was the county’s intention to do so, the policy needed to be clarified.

The audit covered a period dating from before I actually took office on September 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.

It should be noted, the current credit card policy was updated by the Bradley County Commission in November 2006, a month after I took over the duties of Bradley County sheriff. Following is that policy as it was entered into the minutes of a regular session of the county commission on November 20, 2006:

It is the policy of Bradley County, Tennessee, to regulate the use of County issued credit cards to promote and encourage efficient conduct of business.

County issued credit cards are to be used strictly for Bradley County business only. The below stated procedures are to be followed in the use of County issued cards (Visa, MasterCard or Discover).

¢ The Department Head/Elected Official shall make requests for credit cards to the County Mayor, who shall be responsible for issuing all credit cards.

¢ Only the Department Head/Elected Official can authorize the use of a County credit card by an employee of Bradley County.

¢ The Bradley County Mayor will keep a list of issued credit cards.

¢ Employees are prohibited from making personal purchases on County issued credit cards. Employees who violate this policy must pay for the personal items and will be prohibited from using the County issued card in the future.

¢ The Department Head/Elected Official will review the monthly statement, verify the purchases and attach all signed copies of receipts. The Department Head/Elected Official will review for accuracy, sign and return the statement with all receipts to the County Mayor for payment.

¢ The use of County issued credit cards (Visa, MasterCard or Discover) is for out of town travel expenses. Any other use should be discouraged.

Considering how extensive the rules, policies and regulations governing the county and the Sheriff’s Office are, and considering the minutia of such rules, policies and regulations, and considering the disorganized record-keeping I encountered upon taking office, I don’t think it is unreasonable I be allowed the benefit of the doubt if I or a member of my staff didn’t follow a policy to the letter.  

However, that said, I will repeat that the audit found no wrongdoing regarding BCSO credit card purchases and the county policy for credit card use. Perhaps some points of interpretation can be argued, but that is due to a lack of specifics on the part of the county in defining the policy, not because of any impropriety or dishonest intent on the part of myself or any member of my staff.

Therefore, in the spirit of openness and public accessibility that I have always observed during my public service, I offer a list of the credit card purchases noted in the audit and my own justification and/or explanation as to why said purchases did not and does not violate existing county credit card policy:

Two teenagers are charged with forcing entry into a residence at 399 Brown Drive and taking property valued at $750.

The loss reported by Mark Wimberly consisted of $50 in change, two men’s watches, an assortment of DVD’s, two guns, and X box games.

The Criminal Investigations Division of the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office was able to develop leads from forensic evidence that Crime Scene Technician Emily Hamstra collected, eventually leading to the suspects.

David A. Foster, 18, of Virgil Rymer Road, and a 17 year-old juvenile were charged on Wednesday with Aggravated Burglary and Theft over $500.   

David A. Foster

The theft occurred while no one was at the home between February 4^th and February 8^th. Detective Joseph Lee made a full recovery of the stolen property.

Foster was incarcerated at the Bradley County jail. The juvenile will be processed through the Juvenile Court system.

Leadership Cleveland participants representing the Cleveland - Bradley Chamber of Commerce visited the Justice Center on Wednesday, February 13. 

Sheriff Tim Gobble Speaks to Group

1. Keeping the Peace. 2. Investigating crime / Patrolling the roads. 3. Attending / protecting the courts. 4. Serving civil / criminal warrants. 5. Operating the jail.

Class members listen to Sheriff Gobble