Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Sheriff vows to continue crime-fighting, make county safer place

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Paul White

Paul White

To the Editor:

Since I was first elected in 2006, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has implemented many changes and programs to better serve the citizens of Anderson County.

The Sheriff’s Department was reorganized to be more efficient and more effective. Emphasis has been placed on enforcement for the prevention, detection, and investigation of crimes. This reorganization has placed more deputies on patrol and investigating crimes, resulting in more arrests and crimes solved.

We have focused the efforts of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department on drug enforcement and in reducing property crimes such as burglary and theft. These efforts have paid off as overall crime numbers have fallen and are continuing to decrease.

Crime prevention programs such as Neighborhood Watch were reinstated and a dedicated crime prevention officer works hand-in-hand with the community to help in reducing crime. [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch open house to include tour of renovated ORPD

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Neighborhood Watch Award Carol Barnette

Carol Barnette, Neighborhood Watch District Leader, accepts an award from ORNWP President Brad Stephenson, left, for the Scarboro community’s outstanding community service in supporting neighborhood crime prevention programs. With them are, from left, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, Deputy Chief of Police Alan Massengill, and Community Resource Officer Brandan Sharp, at the Neighborhood Watch annual banquet for block captains.

The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program invites the community to come learn more about the crime prevention program at a Neighborhood Watch Open House from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the Municipal Courtroom in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building.

Neighborhood Watch encourages residents to watch for and report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, in partnership with the local police department. The program also encourages neighbors to get to know each other better. By working together to prevent crime, Neighborhood Watch participants contribute to improved safety and quality of life in their communities.

The open house will feature a presentation by David Gordon, crime analyst with the Oak Ridge Police Department, and tours of the newly renovated Oak Ridge Police Department.

Gordon will explain how residents can track crime in their neighborhood through RAIDS Online, www.raidsonline.com, a Web-based crime mapping program. RAIDS Online offers information about local crime activity and trends. It empowers the public, according to Gordon, by giving them the same technology used by law enforcement to analyze and interpret crime patterns in their area. Anyone may subscribe to customized e-mail alerts about crime in their neighborhood. [Read more…]

Sheriff’s Department has county-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting on Tuesday

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Neighborhood Watch Logo

Submitted

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will be holding a county-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting at the Clinton Middle School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will highlight the success of Neighborhood Watch and the dedicated volunteers who have contributed so much to reducing crime. A presentation will demonstrate how the department’s crime analysis and crime mapping aids citizens in keeping neighborhoods safe.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer. Throughout the county, there are some 30 Neighborhood Watch groups keeping a close eye on their community. [Read more…]

ORPD could unveil public online crime mapping system this week

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Oak Ridge Police Department could unveil a new online crime mapping system this week that will publicly display incident information. That information includes crime types, dates and times, and block addresses.

“It enables the public to go online and search out crime in any area, particularly in their own area,” Oak Ridge Police Department Crime Analyst David Gordon said. “You can log in today and see what was going on.”

Free to the public, the RAIDS Online system will show crimes such as assaults, burglaries, homicides, robberies, and thefts. Sexual assaults and traffic stops will not be reported, Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi told City Council members during a work session Monday.

[Read more…]