It is good to live in a community that respects the men and women who serve daily in law enforcement with local, state and federal agencies.

Today, as sheriff, I join others in this worthy profession as we recognize the men and women who daily provide for our safety and the more than 14,000 officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Police Memorial Week was proclaimed by Congressional action in 1962 in remembrance  of those who sacrificed their own life for the protection of communities across the nation.  President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726 on October 1, 1962 but twenty years went by before the first public ceremony was held to honor those serving in law enforcement.   

At the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. thousands will gather to pay homage to those who died in 2006.

The Bradley – Cleveland Emergency Services Memorial bears the names of fallen officers and emergency service workers who lost their lives in the line of duty.   

Sheriff Israel L. Smith died of a gunshot while leading his deputies on a whiskey raid in 1922; Deputy Taylor Cawood died in 1932 while returning to Tennessee with a prisoner; Patrolman Bud Cash was killed in a crash at the intersection of Inman and Ocoee Streets while running emergency traffic; Deputy Ken Wright Sr. was killed by gunfire in 1971 while backing up a Cleveland Police officer on Broomfield Road; and in 1989 Reserve Deputy Al McCollum died while serving with the Cleveland – Bradley County Rescue Squad during a rescue attempt in Meigs County.   

According to the Constable Public Safety Memorial Foundation, in the U.S:

• Over 6,000 officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1960. Between 150 and 165 die each year.
• A police officer dies in the line of duty every 57 hours.
• Two police officers are wounded by gunfire everyday.
• Most deaths occur during arrests, disturbances and in car crashes.
• Most officer deaths occur between 4:01 p.m. and midnight.
• Twenty-five percent of officers are killed with their own weapon.
• Most deaths are within the first minute of contact with the suspect.
• Over 68,000 officers are assaulted every year. That is about 189 every day.

 Law enforcement officers are only human and they make mistakes. But they are deserving of your gratitude when they do a good job, your respect for the risks they take, and a place in your heart for the job they do keeping all of us safe.

The Law Enforcement Officers Prayer

O Almighty God, Whose great power and eternal wisdom embrace the universe, watch over all the police officers and law enforcement officers. Protect them from harm in the performance of their duty to stop crime, robberies, riots and violence. We pray, help them keep our streets and homes safe day and night. We recommend them to your loving care because their duty is dangerous. Grant them your unending strength and courage in their daily assignments. Dear God, protect these brave men and women, grant them your almighty protection, unite them safely with their families after duty ends. For these men and women truly walk the "Thin Blue Line", Amen.

This week I want to emphasize traffic safety and to tell you about our award wining traffic unit that has earned the respect of their peers at the state and federal levels for their dedication to safety.

Traffic enforcement is one of the many functions law enforcement provides for the community it serves.  The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office takes our role seriously of keeping the roads of this county safe for everyone to use.

Bradley County is experiencing rapid population growth which is increasing the volume of vehicles using our roads.

On top of that with the change in seasons to warmer temperatures there is usually an increase in congestion on our county roads and a corresponding increase in accidents.  We anticipate further congestion when schools dismiss for the year and families begin their vacation travels.     

Our patrol division and the traffic unit both have traffic enforcement responsibilities. Deputies assigned to patrol have other responsibilities such as serving warrants and responding to calls for service, but traffic enforcement and accident investigation are the primary duties of those who are assigned to work traffic. It is under the supervision of Sgt. W.G. Campbell and they do an excellent job of keeping our roads safe through a program that encompasses a broad range of safety education.

In 2006 the unit received state and national awards for their efforts promoting traffic safety and DUI enforcement, where they placed first in Tennessee.

The deputies who serve in this area have extensive training in the area of traffic accident investigation and several have taken advanced courses in accident reconstruction.  

The Bradley County jail operates within the existing laws of the state of Tennessee and the guidelines set forth by Tennessee Corrections Institute for the safe and humane treatment and care of people in our custody.   State law gives TCI a mandate to administer the minimum standards for jails and correctional facilities and to conduct annual inspections to determine compliance with 14 established criteria related to jail operations. 

The Bradley County jail is a state certified facility that meets or exceeds TCI’s minimum requirements for Type I jails, which is the classification of our facility. 

As your sheriff, I have a statutory obligation for the overall operation of the jail and the safety of correction officers and inmates.

The Bradley County jail has been open less than three years and we have reached capacity of 408 at times.  We have been able to get by with 86 correction officers in the jail but TCI’s staffing analysis specifies 92 deputies when the facility reaches capacity.  In fact, we have exceeded capacity several times since I became sheriff.  To prevent the possibility of being de-certified I have no choice but to request additional funds to increase the staff to 92 in the fiscal year 2008 budget I presented to the county commission.

A few months ago I let the citizens of Bradley County know of our plans to seek accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, which is commonly referred to as CALEA. Today I want to update you on our progress since that time. I have appointed Jim Hodgson as our accreditation manager. He has been associated with the sheriff’s office for almost 20 years and is completing 33 years in law enforcement.