From time to time, I receive inquiries from Bradley citizens as to how they can go about acquiring a hand gun permit, or whether the BCSO offers any sort of gun safety and training courses. The answer is yes ~ the Sheriff’s Office does routinely offer gun and safety training.

Anyone interested in taking the BCSO gun safety course, should contact Cathy Ruth at 7287301. She will send you all the information you need. The August class is already full, so if you are interested, you will want to get your name on the list for the next class. We require a certain number of people to enroll before we commit our time and personnel, so sign up now. Although the course itself is free to Bradley County residents, there is a $5 fee which goes to the Cleveland Hunting, Rifle and Pistol Club for the use of their shooting range. Classes are held on Friday evenings and the shooting range is used on Saturdays mornings. Instructors are Richard Taylor of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and BCSO Capt. Jim Ruth.

I have always been a big supporter of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The U.S. Constitution guarantees us that right. I am completely in favor of lawabiding citizens owning a firearm to secure their person, their possessions and their homes, as well as for hunting or sport shooting. However, I would also encourage people to only purchase safe, reliable, functional weapons from a reputable firearms dealer, and go through the proper channels of securing permits, training and knowledge of the law.

The BCSO training course will provide you with information about gun safety, how to obtain a carry permit (which can only be issued by the state), target practice and other practical concerns. We are not obligated to offer gun and safety training, but we do so anyway because it is every lawabiding citizen’s right to own a firearm. In fact, I encourage people to take the course we offer for that very reason. I own guns and my son owns a gun.

I enjoy the Fourth of July for several reasons. For one thing, I love the experience of being outdoors on a beautiful summer day with my family, cooking out, eating watermelon, swimming, watching fireworks, etc ... there’s just nothing better.

I also enjoy the Fourth of July because it is the birthday of our Republic, which is the greatest nation on earth. Happy 232nd birthday, America.

When I was with the Secret Service, I had occasion to travel to many foreign countries. It was an experience I treasure, but I can still remember the anticipation I felt upon returning stateside. Every time I caught a glimpse of the stars and stripes and knew that we were landing on American soil, I was glad to be “home.”

During my career, I have also had the opportunity to visit almost every state in the U.S. That is another experience I treasure. But again, whenever I returned to Bradley County I felt that same warm sense of “being home.” Whether returning stateside from foreign travel, or returning to Bradley County from stateside travel, it always felt right getting back to where I belong ... back to my home.

I always enjoy an opportunity to brag about Bradley County. Maybe we struggle with growing pains and sometimes get sidetracked by politics, but we never seem to lose sight of the fact that this is one of the most friendly and geographically beautiful places on earth. We have mountains, lakes, rivers, streams and forests that people who live elsewhere travel hundreds of miles to see. There is no sight more splendid than when the vivid colors of changing leaves in autumn spread across the countryside and surrounding mountains ... the simple pleasures of a picturesque land, available to all us all at any time and at no cost.

Let’s not take our home ~ our county and our country ~ for granted. This community is one of the greatest little corners of the globe you’ll ever find. It’s like Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” I hope we will all keep that foremost in our thoughts, never take it for granted and never fail to give thanks for the natural beauty and freedoms we enjoy.

In other news, I am glad to report that we have completed successful contract negotiations with Securus Technologies, which provides telephone service for inmates here at the Bradley County jail. Not only does the new contract provide a better rate of return for the county, but we were able to negotiate a $50,000 signing bonus as well.

The way it works is, inmates place collect calls from their cellblock and a portion of the revenue  Securus receives from the phone system is returned to the county as a revenue item. We will apply the signing bonus to purchase two new patrol vehicles. That means we can replace two more of the older, high-mileage BCSO vehicles with new, more fuel efficient models at absolutely no expense to the taxpayer. These new patrol cars, combined with our fuel-savings program will help the BCSO reduce overall gasoline consumption and maintenance costs, and translates as a huge savings to Bradley County taxpayers.

The county recently sold 15 old BCSO vehicles at auction. Bear in mind, these vehicles were actually in service during this past year, most being used as patrol cars. The extraordinary thing is, the cars only sold for an average of three- to four-hundred dollars. That means we had BCSO deputies patrolling this community in automobiles that had such high mileage and were in such poor condition they could only fetch three- to four-hundred dollars in the marketplace. And we still have almost 20 cars just like them that are still in service. This situation is beyond unacceptable, should never have been allowed to develop and should be corrected as soon as possible. Bradley County has been listed as the 14th wealthiest county in Tennessee (out of 95 counties). There is no excuse that a community as blessed as ours should settle for so little when it comes to a reliable emergency response and our deputies’ well-being. The men and women of the BCSO face danger daily to ensure our safety and protection. The least we can do is show them that same regard, and having decent vehicles to drive is not too much to ask.

Finally, I want to give a big Thank You to Debbie Williams, Peggy Myer, Kay Shamblin and all the Bradley County Republican Women for donating books to the Bradley County jail. I also want to thank Ted Gee for his donation of books. Ted actually donated 3,400 books. That is a terrific gift and greatly appreciated. Books serve as a positive and helpful influence for inmates and are always welcome. Reading strengthens the mind and for many men and women incarcerated in the Bradley County jail, these donated books are their only exposure to the great works of literature.

If you would like to donate reading material, call us at (423) 728-7300. I do ask that your donations be positive in nature. We don’t allow explicit, lurid or violent reading material in the jail. We do encourage the classics, Readers Digest condensed books, some modern writers, inspirational and self-help books. This type of reading material will be appreciated.

You can send us your thoughts or comments by writing to: 2290 Blythe Ave., SE, Cleveland TN 37311. You can also email me directly at: comments@bradleysheriff.com.

I am a firm believer in minimum government interference and maximum personal freedoms when it comes to the lives of all citizens. One clear way to promote maximum freedoms for all citizens is through an orderly and well maintained society that adheres to the rule of law, and in which people can go about their daily lives with minimal threat to life and property. That is why good law enforcement is so important.

In order to attain and maintain that goal, it is very important to provide necessary government services in the most effective, efficient way possible to promote public safety and save taxpayer money. This offers citizens more freedom to utilize their hard earned money to meet other needs, such as rising fuel, food and clothing costs. In fact, in this presidential election year, the state of the economy will no doubt be a priority as people cast their votes.

With that in mind, I feel we can strengthen the economy by keeping taxes low, and we can keep taxes low by eliminating duplication in government services and consolidating in many areas.

In 2004, the Local Government Consolidation Study Committee spent a great deal of time and energy looking into the pros and cons of merging city and county services. According to their published report , the study was a joint, non-partisan effort that involved a number of private citizens, office-holders, public servants, local print and radio media, the city manager, the county planner and others. The recommendations made by the Committee were described as “necessary for an effective, efficient government in the 21st Century.”

Further, the Study recommended a “customer relations management theme” built around the concept of providing services to the citizens of Bradley County in the most effective and efficient manner possible. The Study Committee was concise, in-depth and comprehensive, and examined all local operations “department-by-department, agency-by-agency, function-by-function.”

There are many excellent recommendations made in the Consolidation Study which I feel are reasonable, practical and progressive, and would result in a tremendous savings to the taxpayer in the long run. I also feel that Cleveland and Bradley County are uniquely situated to take advantage of such proposals.

As a society, we can no longer afford to unnecessarily duplicate government services. When I took office, the first thing I did was reorganize a top-heavy management structure here at the BCSO. This enabled me to put more deputies on the street and provide greater services with the savings in financial resources. Additionally, I eliminated some BCSO crime laboratory services that were being duplicated by the TBI in Nashville. By eliminating these duplicated services, we have been able to achieve a more streamlined, efficient and cost-effective operation. These are not the only savings we have achieved at the BCSO. With the closing of this year’s budget, we can show where over $600,000 has been returned to the General Fund through better management of resources since I took office in September of 2006. This has saved taxpayer money.

With the continued costs of goods and services on the rise, perhaps it is time for all government ~ federal, state and local ~ to take a good hard look at eliminating duplicated services and consolidating where possible. The 2004 Consolidation Study Committee report would be a solid, workable blueprint with which to begin that process.

 Click HERE to Download The Entire Consolidation Study Committee Report

Over the past several months, it has become increasingly clear that our country is facing serious issues with high fuel costs. Locally, it has not only affected every citizen who owns a car, but it has affected every county and city department as well. Everyone in Bradley County is feeling the pinch of ever-rising gasoline costs.

It has been especially challenging here at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office because we have not had an increase to our fuel allowance in three years. In fact, in last year’s budget, the BCSO fuel allowance was actually reduced by almost $3,000.

But Bradley County has faced challenges in the past and I am confident we will get through this current high-priced fuel situation. It just takes everyone pulling together to find workable, non-partisan solutions without compromising public safety. With that in mind, I would like to present some of the initiatives we have implemented here at the BCSO, along with some fuel-saving measures that are already in place.

The BCSO will utilize low-octane (87) gas in all vehicles not requiring diesel fuel or higher octane as recommended by the manufacturer.