A Statement From Sheriff Tim Gobble

Dear Citizens:

In order to save gasoline without cutting services, the BCSO must first have been wasting gasoline. Since the BCSO has not been wasting gasoline, the only way to save would be to cut the level of existing services. This is something I am not willing to do because it will jeopardize your personal safety, the safety of the community as a whole and the safety of the BCSO deputies who do a very difficult and dangerous job.

Recently, a county commissioner cited in a public meeting that on one occasion he observed a patrol car idling while on a call and claimed this was evidence the BCSO was wasting money. There are many legitimate reasons why patrol cars may be left idling while the deputy is away. For one, the deputy may have needed quick, reliable access to the police radio or NCIC computer. Maybe there was a K-9 in the car that needed cool air. Maybe the deputy needed to have the blue lights activated for official purposes or to promote public safety.

Studies show that an idling vehicle consumes approximately one gallon of gas per hour (around $2.60, county pricing). While the BCSO routinely strives to conserve energy, an incident such as the one cited by the county commissioner seems more designed for political grandstanding as opposed to genuine concern for conservation. It is very rare for any BCSO vehicle to be left running for any extended period without a legitimate public safety related purpose.

Keep in mind that since I became sheriff in September 2006, we have already reduced the in-use BCSO fleet from 155 vehicles to 133 vehicles. This 23-vehicle reduction is thanks to the diligent work of our staff and has already saved gasoline usage.

Each division captain has reviewed the vehicles assigned to their division and confirmed to me that each of them is necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the BCSO. Also, they represent a minimal number of vehicles necessary to carry out the statutory duties and obligations of the office. Records available through the U.S. Department of Justice indicate that the BCSO’s fleet size is within the national average for law enforcement agencies of similar size and responsibility.

Additionally, according to records provided by Collins Oil Company (our gasoline supplier) and the BCSO Fleet Manager, the BCSO has already saved over $5000 in gasoline costs since switching to a higher octane fuel. The reason for that savings is, the excessive number of old, high mileage cars we are driving are more fuel efficient with higher octane gasoline. The records show that the older vehicles are getting better gas mileage with higher octane fuel. They also require fewer fill-ups. When the age of our fleet can be reduced, we will be able to switch back to a lower octane gasoline. Or if the commission wants to fund a second storage tank, we could operate with two grades of gasoline for different aged vehicles. That would truly allow us optimum fuel efficiency.

The BCSO is already operating with the minimum number of vehicles necessary for an agency of our size and responsibility to meet public safety requirements.  Measures are already in place to increase gas mileage and fuel efficiency by switching to higher octane fuel, which saves money while operating so many high mileage vehicles.  Therefore, some people have suggested that the only option left which would save any substantive levels of gasoline are to cut services to Bradley County citizens.

As your sheriff, I cannot and do not recommend cutting services or decreasing the level of public safety for our citizens. Doing so will jeopardize lives and property of all county residents and result in the BCSO not properly meeting our statutory obligations.

The chairman of the Finance Committee recently issued the following statement:

“The current crises on budget line item for fuel should have never developed. A prudent manager would not wait until almost the entire year’s budget was spent in the first six months before addressing the problem. The sheriff has several administrators and a budget director who should be reviewing monthly reports in a timely manner to avoid getting into this kind of crises. That is as much a part of enforcing the job as enforcing the law. The Finance Committee is now placed in the uncomfortable position of having to come up with a financial solution to the sheriff’s problem ... The Finance Committee believes that the voters and taxpayers expect more of any elected official than to just say, ‘It is what it is,’ and not make an honest effort to ‘change it to what it should be.’”

That may play well to the cameras, but in order for citizens to really understand this “crises” and how it developed, we need to look a little closer.

First you have to understand there has been no increase in the BCSO gasoline budget in the last three years. In fact, the gasoline budget is actually $2,756 less than it was before I took office.  Following are the amounts budgeted for gasoline by the county commission over the last three budget years:

    Fiscal year 2005-2006:  $277,756
    Fiscal year 2006-2007:  $275,000
    Fiscal year 2007-2008:  $275,000

The excessive and ever-increasing number of inefficient, high mileage cars our deputies are forced to drive do, in fact, result in less fuel efficiency and more gas usage.  Some of these patrol cars have 150,000 to 250,000-plus miles, and 41of them are now over ten years old.

Over the last several years, Bradley County’s growing population has closed in on the 100,000 mark.  Naturally, this has resulted in increased calls for service  (the number of calls can be documented at the 911 center). Obviously, this increase in calls requires more gas usage. Increases can be documented in all areas, including calls requiring more law enforcement response, more courts to protect, more prisoner transports, more investigations, more warrants served and more patrols to safeguard our community, apprehend fugitives and make arrests.

The following numbers, as documented by the 911 center, show the increase in calls for service to the BCSO over the last three years:

2005:  72,000 BCSO calls for service
2006:  82,000 BCSO calls for service
2007:  112,000 BCSO calls for service

This information is not new to the commission, as I actually “sounded the alarm” back in April, 2007, when I first presented my budget requests. In the gasoline line item, I asked for a $50,000 increase for fuel. At that time, we documented the increased usage and costs and clearly informed the commission that the current budget would not sustain our operations through the current fiscal year.Therefore, the fact that we are now out of gasoline money should come as no surprise to anyone. In fact, the county commission has finally acknowledged that the shortage of gasoline has hit all county departments, not just the BCSO, and they are trying to “fix” a problem that should never have been allowed to develop. In this light, when the chairman of the Finance Committee publically accuses me of not being a “prudent manager,” his words have the ring of insincerity.

My budget requests are self-evident and a matter of public record. Anyone who wants to see a copy of my original request regarding fuel can do so by logging on to the official BCSO website: www.bradleysheriff.com (or, if you are reading this online, click here ). If you are not computer savvy, drop by the Justice Center and we’ll let you have a hard copy.

The fact of the matter is, my staff and I are being prudent managers with the resources we have been given and, according to sworn testimony by the county’s own expert witnesses during the recent petition hearing, we are doing an excellent job in managing those resources, as well as providing above-average law enforcement services to Bradley County

Also consider this: It is easy for the county commission to accuse the BCSO of mismanagement when they refuse to adequately fund our operation to begin with.  This is called “setting someone up to fail.” We are not mismanaging resources, we simply have not been adequately funded in a number of key areas which would help us meet the growing demand for law enforcement services ~ and gasoline is one of those areas.

This is the same problem the county school system faces when the mayor and commission allows education in Bradley County to be funded 130th out of 135. The mayor and many of the current commissioners simply do not have the vision or ability or desire to face the future and address these very important public safety and education issues. This has to change.

In the field of law enforcement, we have accomplished much in the short time period I have been sheriff.  Some of these accomplishments include:

• Reduced average emergency response time county-wide from nine minutes and 46 seconds to seven minutes and 46 seconds. Those two minutes can be crucial in life-or-death situations and were achieved through effective and efficient management of existing resources, shifting more resources to the field and placing two patrol units (instead of just one) in each of the four county zones. The national goal for emergency response is an average of five minutes; and while that is our goal as well, it is just not possible with current BCSO manpower levels. In fact, if the county population and calls for service continue to increase, we won’t even be able to maintain the current response time without at least four deputies per zone during peak operating hours.
• The BCSO has achieved a 30 percent reduction in burglaries in 2007 over the year before, and doubled the number of arrests for burglaries. This was achieved through proactive patrol procedures and by placing a greater emphasis on investigations by our Criminal Investigations Division. This has resulted in an increased deterrent factor, as well as actually catching more burglars “in the act.” Having two deputies assigned to each zone has made a significant improvement in services. Four would improve services even more.
• Overall, the BCSO has achieved a 45 percent clearance rate of all crime in Bradley County. This is 15 percent above the national average. This accomplishment proves the BCSO is managing resources effectively.
• The BCSO has significantly reduced the backlog of outstanding civil and criminal warrants, improving our local criminal justice system, ensuring more people are brought to justice and increasing revenue brought into the county.

For all these reasons, I do not recommend cutting back on any of the services provided by the men and women of the BCSO. Their efforts have produced astounding results and to cut gasoline usage now will require a reduction in services that will move us backward instead of forward.

So where do we go from here?  I have a suggestion. The BCSO has identified $80,000 in various benefit line items (health insurance, life insurance, retirement) that is considered “excess” and could be used by the commission to offset a portion of the gasoline and vehicle maintenance needs.  However, the remaining expenses must come from the fund balance because other lines within the sheriff’s budget will not sustain this level of reductions. It is possible, however, to get this money from the General Fund balance, as the latest state audit shows:

“At the end of the 2006-2007 fiscal year, unreserved fund balance in the General Fund increased to $6,481,745 (11.5 percent increase from last year). The county has budgeted $2,500,649 of this fund balance for spending during the fiscal year 2007-2008.”

This seems to indicate money is available for use if necessary. And since public safety is the top-priority of any government, it seems that money for gasoline to keep patrol cars operating should take precedence over, let’s say, any county portion of a downtown parking garage that very few county residents will actually use.

Several other “options” for fuel conservation have been suggested to me. I will cover them briefly in closing and explain why they are, in fact, not options at all:

Option #1:  Reduce zone car patrols from two to one and place two deputies in one car.

Expected results:  Longer emergency response times due to fewer cars per zone. Understand, the county is divided into four zones, and each of those zones is larger in population and area than the entire city of Cleveland. The BCSO has been able to reduce emergency response times by over two minutes since placing two patrol cars per zone. This action has saved lives and cutting it will, without question, jeopardize lives.

Property crimes will increase because of fewer patrol units covering the highly populated 333 square mile area of Bradley County. Fewer patrols will be less of a deterrent factor and it will be less likely that a patrol unit will observe burglaries/thefts in progress or be able to arrive on the scene in time to catch a perpetrator before they flee. There are many incidents where the BCSO has been able to detect and catch thieves in the act since placing two cars in each zone. Over the last year, burglaries have been reduced by 30 percent and arrests for burglaries have doubled. Cutting the number of patrol units from two to one in each zone will result in an increased loss of property to theft and vandalism and a higher crime rate for Bradley County.

Option #2:  Pull School Resource Officers from schools, park their cars and double-up patrol units.

Expected results: Crime and violence will increase in schools and the area surrounding schools. This will endanger school children and teachers. Honestly, I don’t think principals, teachers or parents will allow SROs to be removed.

Option #3:  Stop serving (or reduce serving) outstanding criminal and civil warrants, stop issuing (or reduce issuing) citations, make fewer arrests, transport/pick-up fewer inmates.

Expected results:  Increase in crime because more criminals will be on the streets due to fewer arrests and served warrants. This will also reduce county revenue because fees generated by serving warrants, making arrests and issuing citations will be lost.

This will also lead to an  increase in traffic violations and speeding, which will lead to more accidents, property damage, serious injuries and possible loss of life.

Cutting back on inmate transports to Federal Court, hospitals and mental institutions could possibly result in the loss of  TCI certification and the Federal contract to house prisoners. This option could also substantially increase liability on the county.

Option #4:  Reduce fleet size, pool vehicles for all BCSO operations and eliminate take-home vehicles policy.

Expected results:  Much less efficient organization that will be significantly hampered in meeting statutory obligations and efficiently handling simultaneous, on-going duties; i.e., emergencies and other activities in the areas of patrol, criminal investigations, school protection, taking reports, operating the jail, transporting prisoners, operating the work crew, protecting the courts and judges, serving warrants, responding to natural disasters and homeland security incidents, active shooter situations, manhunts, hostage situations, chemical leaks, locating missing or abducted children, evacuating in the event of a nuclear event at Sequoyah, etc.

By eliminating the take-home car policy, no patrol vehicles will be visible in neighborhoods and this will result in less of a deterrent factor for thieves and burglars. Community crime will increase and the effectiveness of the Neighborhood Crime Watch Programs will be diminished.

By eliminating the take-home vehicle policy, each patrol car will become more use-intensive. Studies show employees are less likely to properly maintain hot-seat vehicles, thereby reducing the life of the vehicle and increasing actual costs requiring vehicle replacement more often.

Eliminating the take-home vehicle policy will decrease the morale of BCSO deputies. Take-home policies are the norm nationwide for departments both smaller and larger than the BCSO because it is recognized by community leaders across the country that take-home policies offer the best options for wide-spread and quick emergency response, which is vital for protecting the public. By eliminating take-home vehicles, more of our deputies will opt to leave and go to other agencies that take public safety and emergency response more seriously.

If all BCSO vehicles are placed in one location awaiting shift change, it will seriously jeopardize public safety, as well as other emergency and homeland security preparedness and response. Having all patrols in a central area will set identifiable patterns of vehicle and manpower resource locations that criminal minds will definitely exploit.  With all the cars in one location, criminals would be free to operate unchecked and undeterred in other parts of the county. The bad guys know if law enforcement agencies use pool vehicles they are limited in service and response after one group of deputies gets off and another group has roll call, gases vehicles and gets ready for duty. This option will result in increased criminal activity and possible loss of life. It will take the BCSO back in time at least 15 to 20 years.

With a take-home policy, eligible employees are on-call while going to and from work and this creates good public safety coverage and response in emergencies that occur in and around shift changes without undue delay or jeopardizing public safety.

What little will be saved in gas usage without an assigned take-home policy for eligible employees will be off-set in vehicles wearing out faster and, more importantly, it is not worth the cost in lost lives and property.

To the Mayor and County Commission:  I will not willingly implement any of these so-called “options,” nor will I voluntarily reduce the current level of services provided to the citizens of Bradley County. As always, you will vote as you will. But I recommend tapping the General Fund and benefits line items to properly fund all county departments during this gasoline shortage.  

However, short-sightedness and "quick fixes" are no substitute for honest, intelligent and reasonable long-term planning. The current situation is of your own making. The primary concern of all public officials should be the well-being of the citizens they pledge to serve.


Tim Gobble
Sheriff