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I’d like to start out this week by extending a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out for the first of four Sheriff’s Town Hall Meetings last Thursday at Hopewell School . Thanks to everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes to set it up, and thanks also to Principal Tim Riggs for opening the Hopewell campus to us. It was a perfect venue, the turnout was good and I think it was a great success. I look forward to the remaining three. These town hall meetings are a perfect opportunity for the community to turn out with questions, comments and clarifications. Last Thursday I fielded a wide range of questions, including the BCSO’s new Commando 150 APC, the ICE 287(g) immigration program, the BCSO environmental officer, (as you may well imagine) the BCSO budget needs, and many other issues. I am pleased to have had an opportunity to address these issues with the citizens of Bradley County firsthand and in person, and I appreciate so many of you showing such an interest in county government. Citizen involvement is vital to fair, effective and accountable leadership, and I welcome your input.
As to the remaining three sessions, there’s been a slight change ~ we had originally scheduled our Oak Grove town hall meeting for Aug. 30, but due to a scheduling conflict, the date of that meeting has been moved to Sept. 13. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience to the public. Following is an updated schedule of the remaining three town hall meetings: For the audio of the 1st session at Hopewell School, Click Here . I look forward to seeing you all next Thursday (Aug. 23) at Walker Valley High School. As to other new business at the BCSO, you are probably already aware that we are currently involved in a cooperative effort with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to temporarily house their inmates until they can get their new justice center open. We received approximately 26 inmates from there on Wednesday and we will continue to receive Polk County arrestees during this interim period. I appreciate all the hard work of Polk County Sheriff Bill Davis and his deputies. I am glad for the opportunity to be a good neighbor to them during this time of transition. I have no doubt they would do the same for us if the situation was reversed. I feel like the spirit of cooperation among area law enforcement agencies is as strong as it’s ever been. We’re all working toward the same goal; that is, we all want what’s best for our respective communities. And the best way to achieve that is the same as in any community ~ by neighbors working together with neighbors. |
