Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Shelby County, TN Sheriff Deputy Say's: "The radio system simply doesn't work"

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 06:21:35 -0400

NewsChannel 3's Mike Matthews reporting
Cuts Will Hurt Shelby Sheriff's

The office...with four tires, flashing lights, a siren...and mileage that would
make a used car dealer cry. And Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies had better get
used to these babies. They'll be around for awhile. County Commissioners got the
old carving knife out and slashed the sheriff's department budget by $8.4 million
bucks. "We have some vehicles that have accumulated some mileage," says Harvey
Kennedy, chief financial officer for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. "But
we've got a very good vehicle maintenance shop. We will certainly keep those
vehicles up and operating. We will not put anyone in danger. They'll have good
tires, they'll have good brakes, and they'll be in good operating condition."

And with the budget cuts, a lot of these six figure mileage vehicles will be used
by deputies on patrol. We checked the parking lot out at the department's
Arlington substation. If these police cruisers could talk...well they'd have some
stories to tell. Sort of like watching old guys going one on one with Michael
Jordan in his prime. Several vehicles had more than 100,000 miles on their
odometers.

Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell is holding firm on his pledge not to layoff
deputies. But even without those layoffs, there's a very real chance there will be
fewer deputies on the streets by the end of the year. According to Harvey Kennedy,
"The deputies that leave employment, and those that choose retirement come
December, I would anticipate for the balance of the year that they will not be
replaced. We would probably look at a new class next fiscal year, but not this
fiscal year."

And then...put the budget cuts aside. There's another problem that deputies deal
with on a daily basis. And nobody has figured out how to pay for the solution. The
radio system. The two way radio system for Shelby County Deputies is so inadequate
that many deputies have purchased their own cell phones, and use them on the job.
The radio system simply doesn't work, says Deputy Don Chapman. "It only covers 40%
of the county. But unfortunately, as a Shelby County Sheriff's Deputy, I took an
oath to protect 100% of Shelby County."

Sheriff Mark Luttrell agreed to these budget cuts, only after getting a promise
from County Mayor A C Wharton. Mayor Wharton agreed that he'd help fight for more
money for the department, if the budget cuts resulted in public safety being
compromised. County commissioners never agreed to give the department money, if
needed, but commissioners say they'll review the cases, if needed. Chances are,
they'll have to do that much sooner than they anticipated.

http://www.wreg.com/global/story.asp?s=1399526&ClientType=Printable

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