New sheriff urges cooperation by all
By JIMMY 'J.J.' JONES
March 3, 2007
On Jan. 31, the Knox County Commission unanimously appointed me to the office of Knox County sheriff. The commission on that day was faced with the unprecedented task of replacing by appointment four of the countywide offices and eight of 19 commissioners. No other commission has ever faced such an awesome responsibility.
Much has been written and said about this issue; clearly much more will be written and said before our government completely recovers. I do not write this to attack or defend the appointment process given us by the courts or to discuss politics in any way.
I write this to assure the people of Knox County that throughout this process and whatever the outcome, their Sheriff's Office will continue to provide the professional law enforcement services the people of Knox County have come to expect.
With your support and the support of the Knox County Commission, my predecessor changed the face of the sheriff's office. When he arrived, the patrol division was thinly stretched across this county. There was inadequate training; there were no training facilities, no specially trained teams and the jails were overcrowded and had been successfully sued for overcrowding.
Those obvious problems have been remedied. With your support, this office now is well staffed, well trained and most importantly, well able to respond to any law enforcement need that may arise. On behalf of the men and women of this office, I thank you.
We must now move to resolve the remaining issues in our office. I believe we need better cooperation between law enforcement agencies. I believe law enforcement is a group effort, not a contest. To address that issue, I have drafted new interlocal cooperation agreements with both the Knoxville and the University of Tennessee Police Departments.
Those agreements allow all of our offices to better respond to your needs. People who abuse defenseless children or abuse helpless animals are not concerned with what jurisdiction they are in; law enforcement response to their actions also should be unhampered by jurisdiction.
Many issues I address may not be as obvious to the general public. I have begun an analysis of the patrol zones to ensure we have the most patrol coverage in the locations that need the most coverage. I expect to implement those changes soon. I am finalizing the updating of our General Orders begun by my predecessor. I expect the final draft on my desk in a few weeks.
I believe that the support and trust of the citizens of Knox County is mandatory for effective law enforcement, so I intend to be as open and available to the media and the public as possible. Whether the story is good or bad, I intend to address it honestly and completely.
Some have questioned my retention of former Sheriff Tim Hutchison on my staff. I make no apologies for keeping a five-time-elected, 33-year veteran of this department to help me through my transition into this huge job. His expertise on budgets and his understanding of the ongoing capital projects of this office alone are worth the five months of salary he will receive under my administration.
Legally under Merit Council rules, he is entitled to remain in this office. Ethically, I cannot see the fairness in anyone taking the position that he should be unceremoniously booted out of office five months before he vests in the new pension plan. I wouldn't do that to any veteran of this office, let alone a man who has helped this office achieve as much as he has. Good or bad, I have addressed that issue, and I intend to move on.
Knox County government is too important to stay mired in past controversies. We must all move forward. I have been given a tremendous responsibility but one I have been preparing and training for my entire life. I ask that you work with me so that together we can keep efficient, effective law enforcement for Knox County.
Jimmy 'J.J.' Jones is sheriff of Knox County.
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