by Sheriff Tim Gobble
posted May 15, 2008
Over the last year-and-a-half, the BCSO has made tremendous strides in keeping pace with county growth while becoming a more effective and professional law enforcement agency in its fight against crime.
For instance, the BCSO has increased the number of deputies on patrol to two per zone. This allows us to be more effective in deterring crime and has helped us reduce our emergency response time by an average of two minutes. Two minutes may not sound like a lot, but in emergency situations it can literally be the difference between life and death. Also, having two deputies per zone allows for a more timely back-up to fellow deputies when needed.
Since I became sheriff, the BCSO has reduced crime in a number of critical areas. We have reduced residential burglaries by 25 percent and doubled residential burglary arrests over last year. In fact, we have achieved a 47 percent clearance rate of all crime in Bradley County, which is approximately 17 percent above the national average. We also continue moving forward in our efforts to achieve national recognition through CALEA accreditation.
All these accomplishments were achieved by utilizing existing levels of manpower, managing resources more effectively and shifting top-heavy management positions to field assignments where they have proven more effective in serving the public. These efforts have also saved taxpayer money in reduced manpower costs.
At a recent presentation to Tennessee sheriffs by the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), it was reported that on average most sheriff’s office budgets across the state average about 50 percent of the General Fund. According to information I received from the Bradley County mayor’s office, last year’s BCSO budget was 39 percent of the General Fund. That’s 11 percent below the state average. I say this just to give you a sense of perspective and to show that, even with recent increases, the BCSO is not over-funded for its size and responsibility.
During my first year in office, the BCSO was able to return $525,000 in budgeted money savings back to the county and we are on-track to return some savings again this year. BCSO personnel were also responsible for generating over $4 million which went into the County General Fund. These cost-saving efforts served to off set our total operational expenses by over one third last year. In fact, according to nationally recognized experts, the BCSO has become one of the best managed and most effective sheriff offices in the nation.
The budgeted increase the BCSO received last year was almost entirely the result of a 3 percent pay raise that all county employees received. While this raise was much appreciated, it did not reduce the documented pay-gap that exists between BCSO deputies and their Cleveland city police counterparts, as well as other law enforcement agencies of similar size and responsibility. This documented pay disparity is now between 25 and 28 percent for the BCSO. One area where this pay disparity is most recognizable is at the entry level where the starting salary of a BCSO deputy is $26,000 per year compared with $32,000 per year for their Cleveland city police counterparts. Adding to this pay disparity is the high cost of BCSO family out-of-pocket health insurance for county deputies and lower equipment and uniform allowances. Keep in mind, both city and county law enforcement jobs require the same educational background, skills, training, and P.O.S.T. certifications, while county deputies have the additional statutory responsibilities of serving criminal and civil process, operating the county jail and protecting the courts. It is important that the BCSO compete effectively with the city of Cleveland for scarce human resources in the field of law enforcement.
As your sheriff, my primary objective remains protecting the public by preventing and reducing crime. I also remain committed to supporting all BCSO employees, especially those who risk their lives daily in service to this community. It is vitally important that we pay fair and decent wages in order to attract quality employees and retain experienced deputies.
Every time we lose a deputy to a higher paying public or private sector job, it costs Bradley County taxpayers approximately $23,000 to hire and certify another one. More importantly, it costs an additional $100,000 to $150,000 in salary, benefits and training to get deputies up to that critical three-plus years of on-the-job experience and training where they become especially effective. Obviously, it is much more prudent for the taxpayer if we can increase base pay and benefits to more competitive levels in order to retain experienced deputies, rather than constantly train new-hires. This will better serve citizens and help ensure the BCSO remains a viable and effective law enforcement agency with experienced, skilled employees well into the future.
Although needed, I have not included a request for any additional personnel for this budget year in order to allow an opportunity to concentrate resources on documented payroll needs. I have not included any specific payroll increases in this budget requests as my position has been clearly stated and I trust the Mayor and Commission will do everything possible to give our employees the highest possible raises to begin closing the documented pay-gap with the regional average.
I want to thank all my BCSO division captains for their input into this budget process and I thank the BCSO budget staff for their hard work in putting this proposal together. I also appreciate County Mayor Gary Davis and the county commission for acknowledging that there are critical areas of need within the BCSO. I thank them for their indicated willingness to work with us in a spirit of unity and cooperation to find reasonable, cost-effective solutions that will meet the needs of all Bradley County citizens and the very fine group of deserving BCSO employees.
If you would like to know more about the BCSO, our website is an excellent resource. We archive all stories, press releases and my weekly columns. You can read about each division within the BCSO, visit our photo gallery and view dozens of high-quality, informative podcasts that focus on various issues relevant to all Bradley County residents. Just log on to www.bradleysheriff.com. If you would like to contact me personally, call (423) 728-7300 or email: comments@bradleysheriff.com. I try to answer every email I receive. We have worked hard individually and as a team to create a sheriff’s office that is accessible, accountable and transparent.
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