Cutting waste and better utilizing existing resources is not a pipe dream that is beyond government. It can be done and at the BCSO, we’re doing it.

With sound, fiscally-responsible leadership, it is possible to cut waste and spending. We have proven this at the BCSO. Not only do we generate approximately $4.2 million each year to off-set our operating expenses by a third, we have also returned close to a million dollars to the county’s General Fund since I took office in 2006.

The savings we have achieved is positive news for Bradley County taxpayers and serves to demonstrate what can be accomplished through efficiency and good stewardship of public funds. In fact, the BCSO has been recognized by several national experts as one of the most effective and efficient sheriff’s offices in the country. That is a high honor and one we are proud of.

I am also proud of the fact that in addition to good financial stewardship, the BCSO has an excellent record in combating crime. Our current crime clearance rate is the highest it’s ever been in the history of Bradley County.

One of the latest ways we are looking to save money is by subscribing to an electronic pawn record tracking system called “LeadsOnline.” This service will help us in tracking and recovering stolen property that has been pawned. The service costs $5,890, which may sound like a lot of money until you consider that the way we currently track stolen/pawned goods is by having a detective or detectives manually search submitted pawn records and crosscheck against the NCIC system and other records. This not only takes detectives away from other duties, it is very expensive in terms of time, paperwork and salaries, and isn’t nearly as effective as the online service. We considered hiring a clerk to perform these tasks, but LeadsOnline would be much more effective and would save over $15,000 a year.

This new tracking system is already being used by 20 Tennessee law enforcement agencies, with 150,000 transactions which are updated on a daily basis. The system will easily pay for itself in recovery of additional stolen property each year and returning that property to the owner(s). We have always been proactive in our approach to solving crime and will remain so in the future.

Additionally, annual state financial audits of the BCSO verify that our budgets, including the Drug Fund, are consistently managed well and the money is being spent for appropriate and lawful purposes.

While we watch Washington squander money, I think Bradley County taxpayers appreciate the sheriff’s office operating in a vigilant, proactive and fiscally-responsible manner. We are always looking for new ways to improve services and save even more tax money.