Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Police Department earns accreditation from TLEA

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has been accredited by the Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. ORPD was awarded this achievement during the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police meeting held in Franklin, Tenn., on May 29, 2019. Pictured above are Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith, left, and Lt. John Kelly, who led the accreditation effort. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department has been accredited by the Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. ORPD was awarded this achievement during the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police meeting held in Franklin, Tennessee, on May 29, a press release said.

To achieve accreditation with TLEA, an agency voluntarily submits to a three-year process of enhancing the agency’s professionalism and effectiveness using 160 law enforcement standards and participating in a thorough on-site assessment, the press release said.

The standards evaluate an agency’s policies that address a variety of areas including organizational, operational, and budget management practices, the release said.

“The program is intended to encourage cooperation, recognize professional standing, develop professional services, and ensure public safety throughout the State of Tennessee,” the press release said. “The TLEA program is a valuable and cost-effective way to enhance overall agency effectiveness and professionalism.”

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Ask an Officer: Learn about signs of elder abuse, scams affecting seniors

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The Oak Ridge Police Department, in partnership with ORNL Federal Credit Union, will host its quarterly “Ask an Officer” meeting at Oak Ridge Senior Center on Wednesday, June 12, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The focus will be on elder abuse in honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day happening later in the week, a press release said.

Everyone is invited to attend the free session. The discussion will focus on how to identify signs of elder abuse and scams affecting senior citizens. Presenters will also explain what the Oak Ridge Police Department and its partner agencies are doing to address these problems and how the community can get involved, the press release said.

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CTF: Meth, narcotics found during Friday morning searches

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Roughly an ounce of methamphetamine and other narcotics were found during searches on Ridgeview Drive in Oliver Springs on Friday morning, May 31, 2019, law enforcement officers said. (Photo courtesy Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force)

Roughly an ounce of methamphetamine and other narcotics were found during Friday morning searches on Ridgeview Drive in Oliver Springs, law enforcement officers said.

The searches were led by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, which had three search warrants. The search operation included the CTF, Oliver Springs Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and Oak Ridge Police Department, a press release said.

ACSO and ORPD SWAT executed two of the three search warrants at the same time, the press release said. The third search warrant was executed shortly after the first two were clear, the release said.

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Emergency workers: State your location when calling 911 from cell phone

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The Oak Ridge 911 Dispatch Center is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge emergency workers and dispatchers are urging the community to remember a potentially life-saving step when calling 911 from a cell phone: immediately state your location to the dispatcher.

“The Oak Ridge fire and police departments are working to share this important information after incidents involving cell signals were routed to the wrong 911 center, potentially delaying emergency response,” a press release said.

Emergency service organizations (fire, police, ambulance, and dispatch) and 911 callers have no control over which cell tower is used by an individual’s phone. If you are making a 911 call from your cell phone, you should always advise the dispatcher of the city and/or county you are calling from and your exact location, the press release said.

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Today: ORPD has Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony

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The Oak Ridge Police Department Peace Officers Memorial in 2018 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across the country in celebrating National Police Week, May 12-18. As part of the week-long observance, the department will host a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, to honor law enforcement personnel.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The keynote speaker will be Rick Scarbrough, executive director of the University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center in Oak Ridge and former chief of the Clinton Police Department. The public and all law enforcement officers are invited to attend, a press release said.

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DA: Granddaughter in murder case was malnourished, smothered

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Valerie Stenson

The young granddaughter who died in Oak Ridge in 2011 was malnourished and had been smothered, District Attorney General Dave Clark said Friday, after the child’s grandmother pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last Tuesday.

Emergency workers and law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call at Teller Village Apartments around 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, 2011. The grandmother, Valerie Stenson, now 54, was trying to revive her granddaughter, Manhattan Inman, using cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, Clark said in a press release Friday.

“An autopsy reveled that the child was malnourished, and the cause of death was smothering,” said Clark, who is DA in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County).

Manhattan was two years and nine months old when she died, Clark said.

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Driver identified in fatal crash on Edgemoor Road

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The driver killed in the two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Monday morning has been identified as Michelle Garcia, 61, of Clinton, police said.

The head-on collision, which killed Garcia and injured the other driver, was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Haw Ridge Park. The name of the other driver hasn’t been released yet.

“The crash remains under investigation,” the Oak Ridge Police Department said Friday. “No other details will be released at this time.”

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One person dies in Edgemoor Road crash

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Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m.

One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Monday, police said.

The head-on collision was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Haw Ridge Park. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department responded.

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More than 550 pounds of medicines collected during Drug Take Back Days

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More than 550 pounds of unused and expired medications were collected during Drug Take Back Days in April, according to ASAP of Anderson.

ASAP of Anderson partnered with local businesses and police departments to collect unused and expired medications throughout the community, a press release said.

“A total of 582.2 pounds of medication was collected at six different Drug Take Back sites in April,” ASAP said in the press release. Collected medications are safely handled by police officers, turned over to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration representatives, and then incinerated to ensure they do not find their way back into the community.

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Police identify woman who died in two-vehicle crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the woman who died in the two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday afternoon as Johnnie Gary, 77, of Oak Ridge.

The two-vehicle crash between a sedan and pickup truck was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Nebraska Avenue, at Newport Drive.

Gary was pronounced dead at the crash site, the ORPD said.

The other driver had non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge to be treated.

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Updated: One person dies in crash in west Oak Ridge

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Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. May 1.

A female driver died in a crash in west Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Nebraska Avenue, at Newport Drive. It involved a maroon sedan and a white pickup truck. The sedan had come to a stop heading south on Newport Drive onto Oak Ridge Turnpike, while the pickup truck was in the westbound lanes with its front end turned into the grassy center median.

The cause is not known yet. A specialist who can reconstruct the crash was investigating, Oak Ridge Police Department Lieutenant Matt Tedford said Tuesday afternoon.

The female’s body was taken for an autopsy by the Roane County medical examiner, Tedford said.

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Jenkins promoted to ORPD captain

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Oak Ridge Police Department Captain Brad Jenkins is pictured above in April 2019. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department has named Brad Jenkins as its newest captain, promoting him from the rank of lieutenant earlier this month.

Jenkins was publicly recognized by Oak Ridge City Council at the regular meeting on April 8. Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith presented Jenkins with his new badge, the same one worn by Smith when he held the rank of captain with ORPD, a press release said.

Jenkins joined the Oak Ridge Police Department in 1988 after three years with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga Police Department.

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