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ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS |
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Written by Tim Gobble, Sheriff
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Tuesday, 31 July 2007 |
Today on behalf of the citizens of Bradley County in an effort to help ensure quality law enforcement and public safety in our community, I have petitioned the Circuit Court of Bradley County as required under TCA § 8-20-101 for decisions regarding the BCSO 2007-2008 budget requests that were previously denied by the Bradley County Commission .
The Tennessee Legislature has recognized the historical reluctance of county commissions across the State to fund sheriff’s offices adequately to meet statutory obligations and compensate personnel at the level needed to properly attract and retain them. As such, the legislature, in its wisdom, provided sheriff’s with specific legal requirements under the law to determine their budget and properly address the number one responsibility of government, the safety and security of citizens.
According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-20-101 the county sheriff has two options through which he may obtain authority to employ and compensate personnel to assist him to properly and efficiently conduct the affairs and transact the business of his office. The sheriff may either file a salary petition with the court, or, if the sheriff and the county executive agree on the number of deputies and the assistants to be employed and the salary to be paid to them, a letter of agreement may be prepared and submitted to the court for approval.
The sheriff must file a salary petition with the court or enter into a letter of agreement. According to the law, doing nothing is not an option and both provisions require the court to be involved.
I want the citizens of Bradley County to understand that as sheriff, I cannot in good conscience agree to a budget that places the salary of our deputies over 22% behind the regional average for law enforcement agencies of similar size and responsibility and over $5000 per year behind the average pay of their Cleveland Police counterparts. By closing or significantly reducing this pay and benefits gap we will actually save tax payer money in the long term by reducing new hire cost, re-training cost, re-equipping cost, and retaining the valuable experience necessary to better deter, prevent and solve crime.
As sheriff, I cannot in good conscience agree to a budget that requires my deputies to drive emergency response vehicles that have over 200,000 miles on them. This level of mileage and the deteriorating condition of the vehicles jeopardizes the safety of our deputies and detracts from their ability to reliably respond and protect citizens. It also creates a significant liability on the part of the county if a citizen, inmate, or deputy is injured in or by one of these high-mileage, unsafe vehicles.
As sheriff, I cannot in good conscience agree to a budget that does not properly provide the number of assistants needed to meet our statutory obligations of keeping the peace, investigating crime, protecting the courts, serving criminal and civil process and operating the jail. Numerous independent studies, assessments and reports clearly document and confirm the understaffing currently experienced by the BCSO in several critical statutory areas. Since the beginning of the budget process I have continually asked and pleaded with the mayor and commission to work with us to find reasonable solutions to these legitimate needs. So far, they have refused to do so. I now have no other alternative but to follow the law and petition a court on behalf of the citizens of Bradley County for decisions on these matters. I cannot just ignore for political expediency what the law requires of me. I have a duty to properly provide for the safety and security of Bradley County citizens and we as a community have a duty to properly support those who risk their lives and well-being on a daily basis to keep this community safe. I ask for your support in this process.
Sincerely, Sheriff Tim Gobble |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 August 2007 )
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