Wednesday, January 23, 2013

"Don" Burrell Ellis Using Police For Personal Protection

"A county representative said the officers at Ellis' home are not costing taxpayers any extra money". ....Seriously?
DeKalb County's embattled CEO now has 24-hour protection outside his Stone Mountain house.

Channel 2 Action News has learned county leaders decided to station an officer in a marked car in the neighborhood following a raid at the property launched by the district attorney’s office earlier this month. 

A county representative said public safety officials made the change because there has been an increase in traffic near CEO Burrell Ellis' house since the highly publicized raid.

"It was a public safety decision, and an officer will remain there for the foreseeable future until circumstances warrant a change," said DeKalb spokesman Burke Brennan.

But a man who lives on Ellis' street told Channel 2's Erica Byfield he hasn't seen a change in the traffic patterns.

"There hasn't been any unnecessary traffic over here that I've noticed," said Abner Ralliford-Tucker.

On Jan. 7, investigators from the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office hauled boxes and computers from the CEO's home and office.

The raid was in connection to a DeKalb County Watershed Management investigation. During the search, Ellis was in court testifying about the same investigation. Authorities want to know what role, if any, Ellis has played in any contracts given out by the county. 

Ellis already had a security detail, but the officers stationed outside his house are not a part of that detail.

By Erica Byfield

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where did Chief Obrien GO? I havent seen a Police Car in my area since he resigned. I can't believe they are taking turns at Erkels House on a Cul Du Sac. So we pay for his lawyers and his twenty four hour coverage. And I can't get a ride thru.Whats worse the Dekalb Board of Commissioners or the School Board. DA James the way to go.The DeKalb population should be proud. Iam proud and grateful.

Anonymous said...

Question for the citizens of Dekalb:...How many officers answering 911 calls are on duty at this moment?

Would you believe less than 75 for the whole county! And 75 is generous.... 15 per precinct... it is more likely 60 - 65...maybe.....


Yes, having uniform station an officer outside Ellis' house doesn't incur any additional cost to the county..... the officer and patrol car would be on the streets of Dekalb regardless.....however, that is one less officer answering 911 calls, backing other officers, and patrolling the county.

We're already thin and dealing with complaints about response time...this doesn't help.

Anonymous said...

I love how they portray this as a decision made by the commanders in the police department. This came straight down from Ellis' office on the day those warrants were issued. It also amuses me when they claim that it doesn't cost the taxpayers anything additional. It does when you consider that the rest of the watch is short a man who otherwise would have been handling calls just so the CEO can show how important he is.

Anonymous said...

Brennan said it's not costing additional tax payer dollars. That's only true because we haven't increased our man power. We've just made that precinct even more shorthanded. That officer sitting in front of his house could be out patrolling other parts of the county. Instead, he's sitting there doing nothing. Calls are pending, but we have to have an officer sitting at the CEO's house 24 hours a day?

Anonymous said...

At this point I'd suggest pulling a Hillary thus creating an illness coupled with some pics of your crying children which will distract 3/4 of the general population from the ACTUAL issue. "Listen to me America, I did not have sex with that woman..." Voting for ANY incumbent at this point only perpetuates and condones the ongoing problems.

Anonymous said...

ONCE AGAIN saying it was handed down to the commanders DOES NOT excuse it. Grow a pair for once in your life and stand up for what is right. Think his office will be there to defend you in a civil suit for negligent staffing? Think again...

Anonymous said...

Wiz Miller decided Ellis needed 24 hour protection? Didn't the commissioners vote to get rid of Public Safety Director Miller's job, but then Ellis made him the "911 Director." Why is the "911 Director" telling the police department what to do? Isn't that no longer in his job description? Shouldn't he be limited to telling the 911 Operators what to do?

Anonymous said...

How many times has he pulled officers off the road to guard his house? Last time it was because he felt "threatened" by Tbolt, which was a load of crap. Now he's having officers sit on his house after a search warrant was lawfully executed at his residence. By this logic should we not be sitting in front of every perp's house providing protection after serving a search warrant? This makes absolutely no sense...If the DA's office comes to serve another search warrant, does he really expect PD to stop them?

Anonymous said...

Well SOD has been doing some of the shifts but Tucker uniform has been handling it on weekends. Guess SOD is only available during the week? So yes, this is costing the watch an officer that would otherwise be handling calls.

Anonymous said...

Retired Chief OB now can go anywhere he wants, work where he wants, doesn't have to be worried about the media bugging him or whatever for whatever. He is happy, retired, and for the most part, doesn't give a shit about his former employer. He has done his time and now the true perks of the job is now all his.

So bearing this mind, why does anyone want to know what he is currently doing? Hey....Maybe he just relaxing playing golf, fishing, looking at those sunsets, traveling or doing what a retired person does.....None of your business !!!

Anonymous said...

So what's Burrell's first name? I see he uses W. Burrell Ellis for legal matters. How dorky is the "W"?

And whoever's parked in front of Master Ellis' home might want to scoot over to Sharon Bounce Sutton's abode from time to time and make sure she's not up to no good.

Why would I think Sutton is up to no good, you ask? Because she's back to her lying, cheating ways, of course. Looks like someone didn't pay their 2012 property taxes. It's time for Belcher, Russell or Saltzman to put Sharon "on blast."

Maybe she could take a title loan out on her BMW to get some duckets to pay her taxes.

Anonymous said...

Kudos to Erica Byfield for actually interviewing a neighbor and reporting what he said about no noticeable increase in traffic in Ellis' cul-de-sac.

Apparently April Hunt and the AJC are content being stenographers for the County and dutifully report whatever Burke "BS" Brennan says.

Why call him a BS'er? Compare the two articles: the one posted here and the one at the AJC

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/dekalb-ceo-home-has-24-hour-police-protection/nT5SX/

In the Channel 2 article Brennan is quoted as saying it's because there's been an increase in traffic near Ellis' home.

On the other hand the AJC article states:

"However, a county spokesman said the CEO had expressed concern about the public spotlight on the home he shares with his wife and young children.

“I know that safety concerns had been an issue early on and that it has been an issue that his house is now a focal point in the neighborhood,” county government spokesman Burke Brennan said."

The AJC article was posted the day after the Channel 2 story. By then Brennan probably had to cover his lie about the supposed increase in traffic since a neighbor had already contradicted his first excuse for stationing an officer there.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 9:05 AM

Maybe old retired Chief OB should hook up with some of his old hunting buddies and let them remind him of how we used to do it years ago....only MUCH better now.

Take that as a hint and and invite Bill.

LoFlyer said...

Open letter to representative H Mosby. chairman of the DeKalb legislative delegates.
Representative Mosby.
As you probably well know DeKalb government is in a continuous state of financial crises.
Much of the crises was created by the DeKalb CEO and commissioners with three big bond issues, Greenspace I & II, and the library bond issue. 
The bond issues were passed by "special elections", as a legislator you have to be familiar with the concept of a "special election". Special elections were created for a specific purpose. Extraordinary events like a political leader dying while in office. The DeKalb CEO and commissioners deliberately abused the "special election" to ensure the passage of the bond issues and effectively "disenfranchised" 95 percent of the DeKalb citizens who would not turn out or vote for a single issue as the bonds. When DeKalb's political leadership understood the bonds had to be paid, instead of raising taxes on the citizens, they looked to DeKalb employees to pay for it. CEO Vernon Jones initiated the infamous no "pay for performance" program. This was a bad joke on the employees to pay for the bonds, since then the county has curtailed retirement and health benefits for the employees to pay for the bonds. It is more than interesting to note that political staffers were exempt from the "pay for performance" plan and received five percent yearly salary increases while the rest of the employees at best could only receive a 3 percent increase.
DeKalb employees received their last "across the board" pay increase in 1997. Then the BOC chose to give the raises only to the lowest paid employees and not the professionals and supervisors that actually make the county work. In 2013 the next "across the board" raise has been proposed. The commissioners are again proposing the same formula as 1997. Only the lowest paid will receive a raise.
The problem is that it is near impossible to hire quality and qualified professional and supervisory employees because their salaries are 10-15 percent below local government market wages.
I worked 25 years in the DeKalb IT department. I was a network engineer. We could not attract and hold qualified network engineers because of the low salary. When I left my replacement was much less qualified than myself, and had to be hired as a high priced "temporary consultant" due to the low salaries.
That is the employee salary situation.
Let's move on to the real problem with DeKalb government.
The CEO form of government does not work, never has and never will. DeKalb is the only county in the state of Georgia that uses the CEO form of government.
What the rank 'n file employees have discovered, is that they are underpaid, for the political staffers and politicians, the salaries are high for the work produced. Example the low-stress easy position of Economic Development director position recently hired in at 186 grand. While my boss, IT director, an important and high stress position receives only about 125 grand. Basically DeKalb government has two tiers of employees. Highly paid political staffers and low salaried rank 'n file employees that are totally demoralized by the lack of pay and political leadership that will not listen to their concerns.
The cities of Brookhaven and Dunwoody did not just magically appear. The citizens of both finally got fed-up with DeKalb government political leaders refusing to listen or represent them. They realized they were the citizens paying for most of the three big bond issues and receiving virtually zero for their taxes.
Do not trust me on this issue. Have your staff do the research on the bond issues and where the projects are located. Talk to HR director Benita Ransom on the salary issue. Look at the cost and staff of the CEO's office.
Best regards,
Ken Choate

Anonymous said...

To Ken Choate: As usual, you tell it like it is! Thank you so much for putting it out for everyone to read. No one can make up the stuff you write: too many facts that are provable. As an ex-public safety employee and a county resident for many years,I just want to say thanks for sticking up for our officers. Hope one day we don't see that 24 -hr car sitting in front of your place 'cause if we do we will know that some folks in high places take exception to your truthful, tell all, revelations Stay safe. There just aren't many left out there who don't mind telling it like it is--from first hand knowledge, not hearsay.

Anonymous said...

Rep Howard Mosby, my former Rep and Rep Emanuel Jones my current Rep are no better than The Carpetbaggers of yesterday.

They are a part of the problem not a part of the solution.

Mosby is too dumb to tie his shoes and Jones should stick to selling cars.

Anonymous said...

Ken,
I can only hope that you actually mailed that letter and didn't just post it here...

Anonymous said...

Everytime calls are pending at Tucker keep a record. Everytime there's not a unit available to back another unit keep a record. This way when someone gets seriously injured or worse killed it will be documented that this wasted unit could have been of assistance. Never seen anyone that is as innocent as he proclaims to be, be so damn scared. Don't worry Burrell that bully from the playground back in third grade has probably moved on to much greater things in life than you. Your not gonna be able to have the WIz assign a unit outside of your jail cell to protect you. Wiz knows that once his buddies go down his career is also gonna be over.

Anonymous said...

Ken: I totally agree with you on how the Dekalb County Goverment is being ran. Dekalb County do not need a CEO. The CEO position needs to be abolished. At the rate that the county is going, the CEO position will be abolished. I think that more money need to be spent on fire and the police department.

Anonymous said...

I do not think that James is going to do anything to Ellis. James is just trying to make himself a name so that he can go to a federal level. I will watch this case closely. James just want to put on a good phosod.

Anonymous said...

I have put murders, robbers, and other bad guys away for life. Where is my protection for my wife and young 3 children? I think I am more of a target than him. But no one cares. I hope he is guilty and rots away in prison along with all the other criminals.

Anonymous said...

NO, you just have to write 5 tickets a day so the revenue from it can be stolen from Recorder's Court.

Anonymous said...

Someone should ask Brennan about that. Officers have had threats made against them and their families. Soveriegn citiezens have targetted several officers. Do they get 24 hour police protection?

They execute a search warrant at a politician's home, he gets police protection. Officers have their lives threatened, do they get anything?

Anonymous said...

I think Robert James just cut his budget

Anonymous said...

So glad I live in Dunwoody!

A real detective actually meets with you and follows up immediately on a burglary case, they even take fingerprints.

When my old business was burglarized in Dekalb in 2006, one officer came out and wrote a crappy report and left. A detective called me almost a month later to see if I had recovered anything.

Dekalb County is a complete joke and the police department was ran into the ground a LONG time ago.