This blog page was established so DeKalb County Police Officers including their family and friends may have a place to hold discussions, post news and vent without fear of retribution.
In 2009 DeKalb Police responded to over 21 thousand alarm calls. Over 12 thousand were false.
Each resident and business are allowed three false alarms a year before they are fined $100.00 for each false alarm. Because the tracking system is so convoluted and disarrayed, the county has decided to hit the reset button.
They are wiping the slate clean for false alarm fines before 2010.
When it comes to money, the decision and policy makers around this place are just plan stupid.
More reason to adopt a verified alarm policy. If the public only knew just how much they are getting hosed by the alarm companies.
We all took an oath to protect and serve the citizens of DeKalb County, and we intend to do just that. If you have a true emergency or are in need of protection from being a victim, especially a victim of violence, we are coming. And we are coming with the utmost urgency, risking life and limb to protect you and your family. We are professionals, and we will continue to be professionals. Some of us will die trying to protect you. That is who we are. If some are saying they will hold back on response to a true emergency, then please turn in your badge now. If this is your mind set, do us all a favor and quit being a police officer, because you don't know the meaning of duty, service and protection.
But on the other hand, when it comes to traffic enforcement, we have discretion and lots of it. During these times when the commissioners are forcing us to work on holidays for no pay, we may just look the other way when you ease through that traffic sign or fail to use a turn signal. We envision traffic citations decreasing and warning tickets increasing. But please, not for one second believe we will allow anyone to place someone ease's life in danger.
The commission has suggested traffic fines be increased by 3%. We don't agree. That is just another back door tax on the motorist within DeKalb County. We are not tax collectors. We are law enforcement officers.
We will serve you and we will protect you. You can probalby expect the long lines at Recorders Court to become just a little shorter, and more parking space available.
And for you officers with badge numbers as long a a zip code writing citations for no tag lights, tail light not working and only one headlight, we have two words for you; peer pressure.
The commission has passed the latest budget proposal. Some of the highlights are: No furlough days, no merit pay increases, no paid holidays and Burrell Ellis reduces his salary by 2.5 precinct.
There's a bill in the legislature that would ban texting and driving. If passed, the question is whether that law would exempt the enforcers of that law.
Commissioner Lee May paid DeKalb County $150.00, equal his pay for the non paid holiday we all had to take in 2009. Taking clues from Sharon Sutton, he paid by money order instead of personal check.
Commissioner Connie Stokes, who is now seeking election in the 4th congressional district, said she would only take furlough days if ALL county employees are furloughed. Jeff Rader is trying to make up his mind what he's going to do. Elaine Boyer sounds like she will not take furlough days, Sharon Sutton can't even pay her bills, much less take a furlough day. She's probably dodging a bad check warrant somewhere. No word from Kathie Gannon or Larry Johnson.
There is a deafening sound of silence coming from Burrell Ellis who makes nearly $156,00.00 dollars year. We have our fingers crossed he will send out Shelia Edwards for a comment. You couldn't pay for that kind of entertainment. Even Assistant Chief Holmes was laughing at her performance.
Well well well. Must we remind you, all county employee paychecks were reduced by 10% in December of 2009? Of course, the reduction was on the last paycheck before Christmas. Some call it a furlough, some call it a lost paid holiday. We simply call it lost pay.
While making Burrell Ellis look like a fool, Wendy Saltzman of television channel 46 has informed us all that Mr. CEO did not take a furlough day, or a non-paid holiday, or lost pay of any kind in 2009. Did Burrell Ellis really say; "I work hard, I work nearly 15 hours a day"?
We thought when the circus show of Vernon Jones & Terrell Bolton et al left the stage, they took all the clowns with them. It looks like a couple escaped, mainly one Shelia Edwards, Chief Communications Officer for Mr. Ellis. We wonder what she was seeing and thinking when she peered into the camera? Was she looking for and escape route, or did she think she had spinach on her teeth? No Ms. Edwards, all we saw was egg on your face.
To bad it wasn't' Friday, because Sheila Edwards performance of smirking through the door window and covering the camera with her witch scarf could be excused with a simple statement; "But it's Friday!".
Take heed Mr. CEO and Commissioners. These are troubling times for the citizens of DeKalb County and all its employees. Your continued performance of arrogance could effect the performance of all county employees....at least the ones not being laid off.
The commissioners by law have to vote on a final budget on February 23, 2010 a mere 5 days away. It looks like they have relied on Sharon Sutton's financial expertise. At this late stage in the game, we learn the county is not 8o million in debt, but 100 million, with the numbers possibly rising (AJC 021810).
In the next 5 days, only 2 of these are working business days, where will the extra cuts come from? Will police and fire now be included in the furlough days? Will they screw us by not only taking away our paid holidays, but not paying us for working those holidays like they just did?
Maybe Burrell Ellis will withdraw his request to increase his budget by $300,000.00. Maybe he will withdraw plans for a Director of E911 Operations, for 6 months including 1 vehicle, supplies and equipment at the tune of $102,495, or $204,990 yearly.
One way Ellis will come up with the money is hidden tax by demanding an increase in traffic citations by 3%. You can bet that number will be going up now.
Here are a couple of links for your reading pleasure. Be afraid, be very afraid.
We police officers did not over spend. We are not responsible for the unaccounted for 90 million dollars lost in Recorders Court. We are not responsible for Vernon Jones' racial discrimination that is going to cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.
But our officers do get shot and die in the streets protecting the citizens of DeKalb.
"Trying to make his case in an ongoing political battle, DeKalb County's CEO said Tuesday that police officers and firefighters will have to be laid off if the commission doesn’t raise taxes."
Why is it the politicians always threaten to layoff police and fireman when times are tough? You never hear of them making threats to layoff sanitation. You never even hear them threaten to cut sanitation service from twice a week pick up to once a week pickup.
Why is it that DeKalb County along with the city of Atlanta are the only major metro area governments to offer government run sanitation when all others are privately contracted out? One word: votes. Click here for AJC article
Director Miller says: "I don't know if there is a flaw in the system" Our follow up question would have been: Are you serious?
Even though it seems this was human error, our Computer Assisted Dispatch system is junk. It has been junk for years. And for years the ever changing folks in charge have been made aware of the problems.
"When one of the officers opened the door, he was met with a pistol in his belly," Callaway told the AJC.
"That officer tried to knock the gun out of the man's hand, and when he refused orders to put the gun down, the second officer fired two shots, hitting the suspect in the abdomen and leg."
Be careful people. There are people out there who want to kill you.
News is filtering in of a SWAT standoff at an apartment complex in Tucker precinct. One officer has been shot in the leg and another person shot is in critical condition.
UPDATE: Our officers responded a domestic call at an apartment complex in Tucker precinct and were greeted with gunfire. One of our own was shot in the leg and is in stable but serious condition at Grady Hospital. A female was shot and is in critical condition at Grady Hospital.
The good news; the perpetrator was shot and killed on the scene. Outstanding!
Why are the taxpayers of this county not demanding Superintendent Crawford Lewis resign immediately? How can anyone in his office sit there with a straight face and expect people to continue to swallow this crap?!
First Dr. Lewis accepts a 15 thousand dollar a year raise when the county is nearly bankrupt and teachers are taking pay cuts. (CrossRoadsNews). Then he wants to you to believe he filled his county bought car with gasoline 3 times in one day. Again, with a straight face, he says he put the wrong gas in so he drained the tank and filled it back up. (AJC Investigation)This man should be in jail! Of course District Attorney Gwen Fleming in all her ineptness refuses to prosecute him. (Bet your ass she'll prosecute the 5 firemen if given a chance) Maybe her use of taxpayer gasoline needs to be investigated.
Now members of the school board go on a field trip to Hollywood costing almost 400 thousand dollars.
This county is corrupt. The school board is corrupt and the board of commissioners are corrupt. Plan and simple, yet the taxpayers continue to allow this to happen!
Unpaid holidays will likely be the first pinch Dekalb County employees will feel from the county’s $84 million deficit.
The county commission is proposing to stop paying employees on eight holidays, including Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas.
The move will save the county about $8 million, Commissioner Kathie Gannon said.
The commission will vote on the proposal Feb. 9. The commission is also considering furloughs and an early retirement program to trim next year’s budget.
DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton says identity theft might be the cause of her recent troubles over bad checks in Gwinnett County. But signatures on the four bounced checks look quite similar to Sutton's signature on campaign disclosure documents on file at the Georgia secretary of state's office. See for yourself ...
DeKalb Fire Rescue Chief David Foster resigned Monday, DeKalb County authorities said.
No reason was given.
Foster was Gwinnett County’s assistant fire and emergency services chief for four years before taking the helm in DeKalb on Jan. 2, 2003, after a nationwide search.
Four DeKalb firefighters were fired Friday after an investigation into their response to a Jan. 24 fatal fire.
The internal investigation determined that, after a 1 a.m. call for fire from a Dunwoody home, the firefighters responded, but didn't get out of their vehicles when they arrived at the scene and didn't see evidence of a fire.
CEO Ellis has named Deputy Chief Eddie O’Brien (Acting Police Chief Bill O'Brien's brother) as Acting Chief.
