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This Sheriff’s Office is about the children, the senior
citizens, the victims and the communities of Cherokee
County. We strive to put solid, proactive programs in place to protect
each and every person in Cherokee County.
For the children….
EXPLORER PROGRAM
Law
Enforcement Exploring is a Boy Scouts of America program that provides
high school students an opportunity to explore a career in law
enforcement. This work-based program is part of the Learning for Life's
Career Education program and focuses on building life skills and gaining
leadership experience. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Explorer
Post 422 was officially established in 2009 and is currently providing
Explorers with skills in patrol, investigations, detention, 911
Dispatch, SERT, and legal processes.
GANG RESISTANCE
EDUCATION AND TRAINING (G.R.E.A.T.) PROGRAM
The
Sheriff’s Office partnered with Cherokee County Schools in piloting this
federally-recognized gang resistance program to promote positive
relationships between students and law enforcement officers,
character-building and conflict-resolution in middle school students.
During the spring of 2010, the GREAT Program was delivered in Andrews,
Murphy and Mountain Youth Middle Schools.
For the Senior Citizens…
SAFER SENIOR
The Sheriff’s Office
partnered with the Senior Center in creating Safer Senior, a program
that allows citizens to ‘register’ their medical and contact information
with 911 Dispatch. This no-cost program allows 911 Communications to
dispatch crucial medical information directly to the responding
paramedics and receiving medical facility, once a 911 call has been
placed by a ‘registered’ participant. In addition, Dispatchers will
contact family members and/or friends of the participant to apprise them
of the emergency situation.
ELDERLY ABUSE TRAININGS
Every deputy and
victim advocate working with the Sheriff’s Office has received
additional and specialized training in dealing with our older
populations, including all available resources unique to elderly abuse.
For the victims….
VICTIM ADVOCATE
PROGRAM
The
victim advocate program has brought national attention to Murphy, NC
with its innovative approach to victim services. The recipient of
several awards such as Outstanding Law Enforcement Professional in
Victim Services both on the Regional and State Levels; as well as the
2009 National Crime Services Award from the National Sheriffs’
Association.
INTERNET CRIMES
AGAINST CHILDREN TASK FORCE
In an
effort to provide a safer community the Cherokee County Sheriff Office
has joined the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force which
combines local, state and federal officers and resources to combat the
exploitation of children. By joining the ICAC the Cherokee County
Sheriff’s Office has received numerous hours of training and technical
assistance from the U. S. Department of Justice at no cost to the
taxpayers of Cherokee County. To provide additional avenues of security
the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has provided free of charge to the
public over 30 safety lectures which have been attended by over 200
citizens of Cherokee County, and continues to provide this service free
of charge to the public.
For the communities…
MARBLE SPRINGS
OUTDOOR EDUCATION AREA
The mission of
the Marble Springs Outdoor Education Area is to provide “an active
learning environment dedicated to conserving the natural history and
cultural heritage of the community."
The property, adjacent to the Marble
Elementary School and donated by NC Rep. Roger West, contains the
original Marble Springs, Hyatt Creek (which is a designated trout
stream), a wetland area, and an area of native pine forest. Local
stakeholders, including Cherokee County native Col. Howard Lovingood and
the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition, Inc., have partnered with NC
State University's Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) and the Region A
Partnership for Children to help bring this project to fruition.
TOWN HALLS
The Sheriff’s Office
believes that the answers lay in the communities. Several Town Halls
were conducted throughout the county in 2009 as a first step in
soliciting feedback and partnerships, to ensure that the Sheriff’s
Office continues to serve the people. Some of the topics discussed
included Internet Crimes Against Children, Gang Awareness, Safer Senior
and current drug trends. Sheriff Lovin invited all department heads to
participate in these meetings so that immediate responses were
available. In addition, these meetings served as a platform to announce
new programs and services available through the Sheriff’s Office.
HIWASSEE DAM SUB-STATION
To better serve the
citizens in the western area of Cherokee County, the Sheriff’s Office
has staffed a sub-station housed in EMS Station 3 building.
NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH PROGRAMS
In
order to effectively combat the emerging crime trends that are taking
root in our communities, the Sheriff’s Office hopes to engage all
neighborhoods in taking an active stance against crime. Utilizing grant
funds, several personnel took advantage of a national training offered
by the National Sheriffs’ Association on establishing comprehensive
Neighborhood Watches throughout Cherokee County.
Other Programs and Services available…
INMATE FARM
PROJECT
In an
effort to reduce the ever-arising costs of food and to meet the
ever-rising number of inmates, we have established the Inmate Farm
Project to meets two purposes: 1) Reduce the cost of feeding inmates and
2) Provide the inmates with activities that are beneficial to their
health and productive to the county.
JAIL WORK-DETAILS
I take
the position that if an inmate is capable of productive work, then he or
she should be given that opportunity. Inmate work-details have saved
both the county government and local townships taxpayer dollars in such
projects as the Martins Creek School, Smoky Mountain Aero, Mountain
Youth Center, Cherokee County Landfill, graveyard maintenance, trash
pickup, and Marble School Project.
JAIL SERVICES
The
Detention Center boasts several new services during my administration,
such as Jail Ministries, GED programs, Work Release Programs, Work
Details, the Inmate Farm Project and both Alcohol and Narcotics
Anonymous programs. The new Detention Center began operations in 2008
and expanded inmate capacity from 43 to 150, with specialized pods for
maximum security, juveniles and medical services.
Recently, the Detention Center has procured a contract to house federal
inmates, bringing the county revenue of $55 per inmate, per day. |