Heathcare in America is a major concern for most citizens, as well as a hot-topic political issue. Healthcare costs are astronomical and no one seems to know quite how to address the issue. I feel that people are entitled to basic medical care and some of the programs we have in place, such as Medicaid and Medicare, are good programs. They need more oversight and solvency and less administrative costs, but they serve a worthwhile function. It is only right that all citizens, including the elderly, war veterans and others with legitimate needs, have access to affordable health care.

The issue of medical care within the Bradley County jail is one that is often misunderstood. Some people have a misconception of inmates sponging off the taxpayer, enjoying “three squares” a day and receiving free medical care. This is not the case. Obviously, we are responsible for the health and care of prisoners while they are in our custody; but routine, basic inmate healthcare is not an exorbitant expense when compared to our overall operational budget. We have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that prisoners entrusted to our care receive food, clothing, shelter and basic medical care. There is always a possibility that an inmate could have, or receive, a serious diagnosis while serving their sentence, but that is rare. And if someone with serious medical concerns is ordered incarcerated by the courts for a length of time longer than one year, the state assumes responsibility for the costs of that outside medical care, not Bradley County.

In 2007, the inmate medical services contract here at the jail was awarded to DHCA, a Tennesseebased company with a proven track record in providing care at a reasonable price http://dhcaonline.com). Inmate medical needs are attended to on a 16-hour-per-day basis (with on-call responsibilities for the remaining eight hours) by DHCA’s professional medical staff. They consistently do a good job in that capacity.

The jail’s medical unit provides required medical examinations and dental procedures, and most all medical conditions or illnesses can be treated on-site here at the Justice Center. But the medical treatment inmates receive isn’t entirely free to them. They are charged for the medical care they receive during their incarceration that falls outside the scope of “routine care.” Sick calls are $10 each. Each doctor visit is $15. Dental service is $15.  Lab services are $25, and x-rays are $15. A trip to an off-site emergency room for local and state inmates via patrol vehicle is $25, while the same ER visit via ambulance is $50. Outside medical treatment for federal inmates is billed to the federal government directly by the hospital or medical provider. While inmates are liable for these expenses, we cannot deny medical care if there is no money in their inmate account. Unpaid fees and charges are debited as funds, if any, are received into their account.

Furthermore, expenses to treat a selfinflicted injury or injuries received through circumstances that are contrary to our rules of inmate conduct are the sole responsibility of the inmate if they have money to pay. This includes  treatments, ER visits, or trips to a physician's office. We help inmates all we can, but we will not willingly foot the bill for foolish, reckless or manipulative behavior that results in an injury.

As always, the BCSO does everything possible to control costs and still meet our statutory obligations. Every year since I became sheriff, we have returned budgeted money to the County, and saving taxpayer money is always a priority.

 A judge in Stockton, California was attacked by a defendant this past week and stabbed a number of times before the attacker was shot to death by a law enforcement officer. Also this week, a man walked into a church in Maryville, Illinois, shot the preacher to death and injured two other people in the congregation.

These types of incidents are happening more often and serve to further illustrate how violence in churches and courtrooms have increased over the years. In a community our size, we cannot afford to be lax. We are looking at an approximate population of 100,000 citizens in a 333 square mile area, with the development of new industry that promises to bring in even more people.

Currently, the BCSO is charged with the protection of 13 different courts in three separate locations ~ the Bradley County Courthouse, Bradley County Judicial Complex and the Bradley County Juvenile Center. We need adequate security and law enforcement personnel on-hand for the protection of judges, attorneys, clerks, jurors and others in attendance. Magnetometers at the Justice Center help screen for weapons, knives or contraband people may try to smuggle into either of the two courtrooms here. We also have magnetometers for the other courts, but we don’t have the personnel to man them. Obviously, a magnetometer is useless unless adequate funding is provided to hire deputies to operate and monitor them.

No church is immune from the prospect of violence. In Bradley County, we have developed a Church Protection Program that is innovative and progressive. A number of local churches have already adopted the program in their own congregations and more have shown an interest in doing so. The special deputy concept is sensible and proactive and we stand by it. It is a good program. The presence of a plain-clothed, armed, well-trained special deputy can be invaluable in a shooter situation. While there are no guarantees, the presence of an armed deputy may help deter a shooting situation or stop one quickly once it starts. A special deputy is trained and prepared to intervene and help control a violent incident until full-time law enforcement officers arrive on the scene. If this program helps to save even one innocent life, then it will be a success.

The Associated Press carried an article this past week entitled: “Experts: Churches big, small need security plan.” In the article, the executive director of the Christian Security Network, Jeffrey Hawkins, described churches as easily accessible “soft targets.” That’s a stark image, but one we need to take seriously. Also in the AP article, the managing director of the non-profit Leadership Network, Dave Travis, stressed the importance of churches having “a written security plan and an open discussion of the church’s vulnerabilities.” Finally, the article quoted Mark Jones, the associate preacher of the church in Maryville where the senior preacher was killed. He said, “I hate to say this, but unfortunately I believe other churches need to ... be ready, we need to be prepared ...”

Jones went on to say that people shouldn’t live in fear of these types of attacks, but we should be ready for them nonetheless. I couldn’t agree with him more ~ we need to be smart, not afraid. And we should give serious consideration to shoring up our weak areas, as no part of the country, including Bradley County, can reasonably consider itself immune to the possibility of violent attack or acts of terrorism. 

Violence in America’s churches and courtrooms is not likely to go away. We can debate why society has become increasingly more violent in recent years, but the fact remains that it has. Senseless violence occurs and it occurs pre-planned and randomly. Whether we are talking about church violence or courtroom violence, the key to combating it is preparedness. It is frivolous, futile and too often tragic to wait until after the fact ~ we must minimize the risk and be ready with a plan of action.

The challenges that face BCSO deputies are varied and can come from many sources. Some challenges test them physically, some test them mentally, and some challenges test them ethically. A routine traffic stop by a BCSO deputy in 2006 resulted in the discovery of $864,928 in cash hidden in the vehicle. The driver claimed neither the car nor the money was his. Although the driver was not arrested or charged with anything, the vehicle turned out to be registered in the name of a suspected drug dealer, so the car and cash were confiscated. After reviewing the seizure, the courts awarded the money to our drug fund for official use in combating illegal drugs and violence in our community.

Sometime later, the man who was caught with the money wanted it back. He began offering bribes to several people, including a BCSO detective and others, if he could have the money returned and all records of it destroyed. The bribes he offered totaled over $300,000, and it is to their credit that no one accepted any bribe money. Instead, they reported it. Subsequently, this person was charged in federal court for attempting to bribe law enforcement officers.

Offering bribes to deputies is the exception, not the norm. A deputy was offered a thousand dollars several years ago to allow contraband into the jail for an inmate. He refused and reported the incident, and everyone involved in the bribery scheme was arrested. Just a few months ago, another deputy was offered a hundred dollars if he would not write a traffic ticket. Not only did the deputy write the traffic ticket, he arrested the man for attempted bribery. The message is: Don’t try to bribe a BCSO employee.

We read of law enforcement officers who are arrested for graft, but we rarely read of the many, many instances where they do the right thing in the face of temptation. I am proud to call attention to the BCSO deputies who display integrity and moral courage in the face of such temptation. Please rest assured that the BCSO does not and will not tolerate corruption in our ranks. We regularly take steps to ensure integrity in our operations. If at any time impropriety  is discovered, it is dealt with in the strongest terms.

I am thankful for the many dedicated and honest BCSO employees. I hope you are as well. My thanks to them all.

It is getting closer to growing season and inmates have already begun preparing the soil for the vegetable  garden. The garden was such a success last year that it will be expanded and more variety of vegetables will be planted this year. The crops harvested from the garden have become a part of the meals the inmates receive.

Inmates till the soil, they plant the seeds, tend the crops, harvest them and cook the vegetables in the kitchen or mix them into salads. The benefits of fresh vegetables in the inmates’ diet and the saving to taxpayers in reduced food costs are evident.

Lastly, we are well into our first BCSO Citizen’s Academy and it is going very well. If you haven’t signed up, I encourage you to do so for the next session, which will begin on March 24th. The purpose of the Academy is to strengthen the partnership between the sheriff’s office and the community, as well as to increase public understanding of law enforcement. A lot of good information comes from these classes, including the functions of various divisions within the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office. Study topics include Constitutional law, criminal law, domestic violence, warrants and searches, use of force issues, fleet accreditation and many other subjects that a lot of citizens are not familiar with. The Academy will provide you a fresh, enlightening look at all BCSO operations. I hope to see you during the next session.