Ross addresses Copperhill allegations
“I’m here to defend my men,” said Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross at the City of Copperhill’s regular Board of Alderman meeting October 21.
The sheriff attended the meeting to share information and answer questions from city residents and the board, in answer to September’s meeting where several residents spoke in public commentary about the level of crime in the city and how the city needed a police force.
Ross said, “Our relationship with the city, as far as I’m concerned, has never been better. … I’m not here to fuss, gripe or anything like that, I just, I get concerned when people want to say negative things about my officers that are untrue, and I’m here to defend my officers.
“They are out 24 hours a day doing a great job. … I know there was one individual who said his business alarm went off and it took an hour – I’ve got the call, it took five minutes. As far as the other concerns about some other things that were stolen, damaged, things like that, the vast majority of those crimes were solved. There were arrests made on those situations.
“So, yes, they happened, and I don’t know that a police department being there 24/7 would’ve kept that from happening. Things are gonna happen, people are gonna break into businesses. If you think they don’t keep up with where the police is at, you’re sadly mistaken. …
“As far as call load, through the end of September, there was 243 calls for service inside the City of Copperhill. There was 75 arrests made through today. The thing I want y’all to know is that out of those 75 arrests, only 12 of those were from people calling us. The others were when my officers were already here doing their job. So, we are spending a tremendous amount of time inside the city without neglecting the rest of the county as well. We try to be where the crime is happening. … We’re here, we’re patrolling. …”
Board of Alderman Tara Akins shared her thoughts. “I for one appreciate what you do and with patrolling the area, the older people feel more comfortable, and I appreciate that you do it and you’re here to serve us and everybody should know we pay you,” she said.
Mayor Kathy Stewart said, “I have to say, I’m very pleased with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department. I’ve had more positive than negative but we always have to address those that are negative.” She later added, “They are our police. People say we don’t have police, we do. We have a contract with the county and they are our police force. … In my opinion, we have the best police protection.”
Stewart invited Patrick Keenan from Buck Bald Brewing to speak during public commentary. She said, “Patrick does a great deal for our community that our people do not know about. I think this would be a good time to let the community know what he does do. Our main complaint is that we close the street off for him to have these benefits for non-profit organizations.”
Keenan said, “I’m a former elementary teacher, I was a social worker. Doing things for communities I live in and play a part in is very important to me. … I wanted people to think we were not here just to take a little bit of money but we were here to try to give back as much as we can.”
He went on to talk about a few of the fundraising benefits he participates in, some of which require the street to be blocked. They include Shepherd’s Men Fundraiser where a total of $11,000 was raised for post 9/11 veterans with PTSD or traumatic brain injury; an Easter Egg Sale to raise money for the United Way of the Ocoee Region for use in the Lion’s Club Vision Program in Polk County, a Backpack Blonde Kickoff where money from the sale of the special beer was given to the United Way’s backpack program; Sharp Animal Rescue; Toys for Tots; and Drink Local Think Global Craft Beer Week where funds are raised to bring clean water to drink.
Resident Charles “CL” Burnett commented that the business trash was lining the sidewalks again. “With people coming in to this town to spend their money and everything, they don’t need that trash out there on the sidewalk and they don’t need to smell that stuff.”
He also asked about parked cars with expired tags that have been there for a long time. And, he asked about a house covered in kudzu that the city has had a sign posted on for over a year. Stewart said she’d get with the city’s code enforcer to get him to follow up on all the concerns and that they do need to be more forceful. Akins added they might need a second code enforcer.
The Board of Alderman will hold a workshop to update the city’s sidewalk ordinance November 4 and hold the regularly scheduled meeting November 18. Both meetings are to begin at 5:30 p.m.