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I read a couple of articles this past week in the Cleveland Daily Banner that interested me. The articles focused on the growing population of Cleveland/Bradley and the increased demand for services that a growing population demands. The articles offered further proof to support what I have been to saying since I took office in September of 2006. That is, Bradley County has one of the fast growing populations in Tennessee, and the BCSO must be competitive in terms of salary, equipment and manpower if we hope to keep up with the news of our growing population. One of the Banner articles stated, “Population and industrial growth is a big topic in Cleveland, Bradley County and the Southeast Tennessee/North Georgia region. Residential growth is impacting the housing market, local school systems, area roads and highways and even recreation programs. Law enforcement and public safety could have easily been included on that list. But it goes without saying that when the population increases, calls for service will increase and the potential for criminal activity will increase, and meeting those increased demands will require more equipment, training and manpower.
According to the U.S. Census as quoted in one Banner article, Bradley County’s population since 2000, has grown by 6.07 percent. The article also noted that the population of Bradley County has increased by 5,585 since 2000, whereas the city population has increased by 1,270, “emphasizing greater growth in the urbanized area outside the city.” In other words, the population of the county has grown at a rate of close to five times that of the city since 2000. The article also pointed out that this rate of growth “is expected to continue through 2030.”
According to figures presented in the Banner, Bradley County’s population was 93,538 in 2000. If it continues to increase at the rate of 6.07 percent (and that is the prediction), by 2030, our population will be at 138,607. That is a population increase of 50,642 people over the next 30 years.
In other BCSO news, I am pleased to report another effective measure the BCSO will soon be taking to better serve and protect the citizens of Bradley County, as well as citizens in other areas around the country. In the past, it has been difficult to notify victims when their offender is released from prison or moved to a new location. The BCSO will soon be linking to an automated system that will notify a victim of crime when the status of their offender changes.
The system is known as the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification program (SAVIN) and currently links to a network of 42 states serving about 60,000 crime victims. It was created in 1993, following the murder of a crime victim in Kentucky by their offender after the offender posted bond and was released from jail.
The new SAVIN system allows a crime victim to register as many as five telephone or cell phone numbers into its database and whenever the status of their offender changes ~ if they are moved, released from prison, etc. ~ the system sends out an automatically-generated notification. There is also a 24-hour crime victims hot line which allows the victim to routinely check up on an offender’s status at any given time.
SAVIN ~ which is part of the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (TCADSV) ~ is available to the BCSO free of charge through a federal grant. Bradley County is among 25 Tennessee counties who are participating in the first stage of the SAVIN program, which will officially begin in April.
I strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim of violent crime to sign up for this innovative new program. You are welcome to call the Sheriff’s Office for more information at 728-7300, or you can log on to the TCADSV website at: www.tcadsv.org.
We have an effective justice system in this country that serves as the model for much of the world. But even so, victims of crime can often slip through the cracks. I am hoping this new automated notification and support system will offer an advantage to the victim. Not only does a victim have to live with the memory of a crime perpetrated against them, they all to often have to live in fear of being victimized a second time by the same person. Hopefully, this system will help alleviate those fears.
Lastly, I want to wish a speedy recovery to Officer Anthony Anderson of the Charleston Police Department who was injured in a serious head-on crash on North Lee Highway caused by an alleged drunk driver. His life was probably saved by the effective deployment of the patrol car’s airbag. This just underscores how important it is that law enforcement officers have safe and reliable vehicles to perform their duties. Their lives may well depend on it.
As always, if you wish to learn more about the BCSO, visit our website often. You may also contact me directly by emailing comments@bradleysheriff.com, or mailbag@bradleysheriff.com. I always enjoy hearing from you and appreciate your feedback. |
