Oak Ridge Today

Get rid of expired, unused medicines on Saturday

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You can get rid of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription or non-prescription medicines on Saturday. It’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

You can drop off the medications at locations in Clinton, Norris, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications, a press release said.

Oak Ridge and Anderson County participate by encouraging residents across the city and county to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted, or expired prescription or non-prescription medicines, the press release said. Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County has partnered with the Oak Ridge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies throughout the county to give two convenient options to residents for proper medicine disposal. [Read more…]

ORPD to host Junior Police Academy this summer

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Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy

Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy students at the National Forensics Academy in 2012. (File photo/submitted)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department will host the Junior Police Academy again this summer.

The Fifth Annual Junior Police Academy will be offered to 5th-12th grade students, including private school and home-schooled students. Students interested in learning more about the Oak Ridge Police Department and the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply. The academy is free to all eligible applicants.

The Junior Police Academy will be offered in three phases this year:

  • Phase I: Basic Law Enforcement Awareness—will be held June 20-24 and is for first-year cadets only.
  • Phase II: Intro to Forensic Investigations—will be held June 27-July 1 and is for second-year cadets only.
  • Phase III: Emergency Response and Readiness—will be held July 18-22 and is for third-year cadets only.

[Read more…]

ORPD accepting applications for Citizens Police Academy

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Oak Ridge Police Department Cars

The Oak Ridge Police Department is accepting applications for the next Citizens Police Academy, which will begin on Thursday, March 17, and run through May 19.

The Citizens Police Academy allows residents to learn how the Oak Ridge Police Department is organized and how it functions. It also gives an improved understanding of the challenges in serving and protecting the community, a press release said.

“The goal of the Citizens Police Academy is to create well-informed citizens who have an enhanced understanding of the Police Department and how it serves the City of Oak Ridge,” the press release said.

The academy requires a 10-week commitment from participants, and it will be held one night a week, on Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. [Read more…]

Man charged with reckless aggravated assault after crash seriously injures two, causes SUV to roll

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Matthew R. Gibson

Matthew R. Gibson

Note: This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. Jan. 25.

A 72-year-old Oak Ridge man has been charged with reckless aggravated assault after he allegedly drove at high speed in a pickup truck on a residential street, ignored a stop sign, and collided with a sport utility vehicle, causing it to roll and seriously injuring two people inside, authorities said.

Matthew R. Gibson, of South Purdue Avenue, was also cited for not having his driver’s license and for a stop sign violation.

His bond on the reckless aggravated assault charge was set at $20,000, and he remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday morning.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, January 16, at the intersection of Manhattan and North Purdue avenues in the Woodland neighborhood, behind Food City. [Read more…]

Party in the Park features family-friendly fun, crime prevention, music, food on Saturday

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Neighborhood Watch Program Party

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas, front left, invites children to meet one of the ORPD’s K-9s at last year’s crime prevention celebration. Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi is pictured at back left. (Submitted photo)

 

The first annual Party in the Park on Saturday will feature family-friendly activities for children and adults, crime prevention presentations and information, free food, and more. It’s scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, October 17, at A.K. Bissell Park near the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The Oak Ridge Police Community Resource Office and the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host the 2015 Party in the Park, with activities celebrating the partnership between the community and the police department. The focus of the event is crime prevention, safety, health, and wellness.

Kristine Kinsey will serve as master of ceremonies and comedian. Magician Danny Whitson will perform feats of magic during the celebration. Festivities will also include Oak Ridge Police K-9 demonstrations, safety and health exhibits, Oak Ridge Electric Department bucket rides, and drug abuse prevention information. [Read more…]

AC Chamber, Tennova offer active shooter training for businesses

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Brandan Sharp

Brandan Sharp

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and Tennova Healthcare will offer active shooter training for businesses and workplaces on Tuesday, September 15. The training will be led by Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Brandan Sharp.

The training is scheduled from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, at the Anderson County Chamber office in Clinton.

“An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and other populated area,” a press release said. “In most cases, active shooters use firearms, and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.” [Read more…]

Police investigate robbery at check cashing store, set up perimeter at apartment building

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ORPD Matthew Johnston, Brandan Sharp, and Ray Steakley at Manhattan Apartments

Oak Ridge Police Department officers set up a perimeter around one building at Manhattan Apartments on North Purdue Avenue after a robbery was reported at the nearby Check Into Cash on South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon. Pictured above from left are Matthew Johnston, Brandan Sharp, and Ray Steakley.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:15 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Police Department on Friday afternoon was investigating a reported robbery at a check cashing and payday loan store on South Illinois Avenue, and officers set up a perimeter at a nearby apartment building.

The robbery was reported at about 3:15 p.m. Friday at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue. Officers said it wasn’t clear what was taken.

Police set up a perimeter around a building at the nearby Manhattan Apartments on North Purdue Avenue, and several officers were carrying AR15 rifles as they appeared to conduct a search in and around the three-story building. But it wasn’t immediately clear if they were looking for a suspect or something else. [Read more…]

Heroes of the Day: Officers, bystander rescue woman by flipping EVC van after crash

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Cassen Garrison and Brandan Sharp at Emory Valley Center Van Crash

With help from a bystander and another officer, Oak Ridge Police Department officers Cassen Garrison, left, and Brandan Sharp lifted this white Emory Valley Center van off its passenger side after a Tuesday morning crash at Northwestern and North Purdue avenues in Woodland. A female passenger, who was reported to be partially pinned underneath the van, was flown to a hospital by a Lifestar medical helicopter.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:28 p.m.

Neighbors called them the heroes of the day. Three Oak Ridge Police Department officers and at least one bystander lifted an Emory Valley Center van off of a woman who was partially pinned underneath it after a crash in Woodland on Tuesday morning.

Witnesses said the right arm and shoulder of the female passenger were pinned underneath the passenger side of the van after the crash, which was reported at about 10 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Northwestern and North Purdue avenues.

The three officers were identified as Cassen Garrison, Brandan Sharp, and Sergeant Pete Nance. Garrison’s right arm was bandaged. Witnesses said he used his hands to break out a back window of the Chevrolet Express van and rescue a male EVC client in the back of the van.

The female passenger, who was partially ejected, was flown to a hospital by a University of Tennessee Lifestar medical helicopter after it landed at the nearby Oak Ridge City Center. Three others were also reportedly taken to the hospital.

Ed Taylor, who lives at the Manhattan Apartments, also helped lift the van. Witnesses said other neighbors helped as well. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Police Department Junior Police Academy registration opens

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The Fourth Annual Junior Police Academy is being offered again by the Oak Ridge Police Department.

This year, the ORPD will offer one academy for the Junior Class, designed specifically for middle and high school students from June 22-26. Registration is also open to rising fifth-graders to middle school. The ORPD is also offering a Senior Class for former JPA graduates only. The Senior Class offers advanced training and activities. The Senior Class is scheduled from July 6-10.

JPA cadets will be given presentations by several Oak Ridge Police Department officers on topics that include K9 and SWAT operations, traffic stops, and much more, a press release said. Cadets will also visit the prestigious Law Enforcement Innovation Center, Anderson County Detention Facility, and Oak Ridge Police Department, and they will be given a presentation by the Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, in reference to substance abuse through awareness, and education. [Read more…]

Letter: Citizens Police Academy increased respect, appreciation for ORPD

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To the Editor:

We graduated from the third Oak Ridge Citizens Police Academy on March 30. It was such an honor to be a part of this group. Both of us already had deep respect and appreciation for the men and women of the Oak Ridge Police Department, but what we learned in the Academy increased our respect and appreciation for them exponentially.

A few things we learned about the officers and their jobs were:

The many tools they use in their job: [Read more…]

Neighborhood cleanup focuses on Highland View on May 2

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Keep Anderson County Beautiful T-shirt

Photo submitted by Mare Martell

Help put the unity back in commUNITY at this year’s neighborhood cleanup hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department Community Resource Office, the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, and Central Baptist Church.

All participants will rally in the big parking lot of Central Baptist Church at the Hillside Road side. Sign-in and equipment pickup starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2. The event will run from 9 a.m.-12  p.m. This happens rain or shine.

If you have a particular area on which you prefer to focus your attention, please call one of the contact numbers to arrange for the pickup of the trash-filled bags. (The sign-in and equipment pickup applies even for the people who have special requested a particular area before May 2 by contacting Officer Brandan Sharp or Sharon Crane). [Read more…]

ORPD accepting applications for Citizen’s Police Academy

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The Oak Ridge Police Department will be accepting applications for the Citizen’s Police Academy, which will begin on January 15, 2015, and run through March 19, 2015.

The Citizen’s Police Academy allows citizens to learn about how the Oak Ridge Police Department is organized and how it functions, a press release said. It also provides an improved understanding of the challenges in serving and protecting the community, the release said.

The academy requires a 10-week commitment from the participants and will be held one night a week on Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.

“The goal of the Citizen’s Police Academy is to create and develop a nucleus of responsible and well-informed citizens who have an enhanced understanding of the Police Department and how it serves the City of Oak Ridge,” the release said. [Read more…]