Commissioners accept Resaca law enforcement contract
by Elizabeth Crumlby
Oct 12, 2009 | 911 views | 9 9 comments | 3 3 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The ongoing saga of who will handle law enforcement coverage in Resaca has come to a close.

After months of debate that left a split in opinion among Resaca City Council members, the city’s police department was disbanded and the decision has been made for the sheriff’s office to assume responsibility for the city.

Commissioners accepted an agreement Tuesday evening that will allow Resaca to have an officer from the sheriff’s office on patrol in the city from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week.

The city will pay the county $100,000 over the course of 12 months, retroactively beginning Oct. 1. The money, said County Attorney Suzanne Hutchinson, will go into the county’s general fund.

Either entity has the option of terminating the contract with 90 days’ notice, she said. The 12-month period will allow both parties the opportunity to determine if the agreed-upon sum is adequate for the services provided, she explained.

Sheriff Mitch Ralston said the sheriff’s office already has a presence in Resaca, but the contract allows for another off-duty officer to provide extra coverage for the chance to earn extra pay. These officers will receive the same pay rate while they are on duty in Resaca that they do during their regular hours at the sheriff’s office, he said.

“As a county, we want Resaca, as a city, to be successful,” the sheriff said.

“We want to do them a good job,” he said. “We want this to be a positive.”

Equipment

The sheriff’s office will be able to use several cars and various pieces of equipment belonging to the city of Resaca.

Ralston suggested the county take two patrol cars: one car is paid for; a few thousand dollars is owed on anther, he said. The county can either purchase this car for the amount owed on it or knock that amount of the contract and allow Resaca to continue to pay off the car, he said.

Two more new cars remain; Ralston suggested the city solicit bids on them from other law en-forcement departments.

The city and county must reach an agreement on the remaining equipment Ralston said, but it “won’t be a burden on the sheriff’s office or the Gordon County taxpayer.”

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comments (9)
« anonymous wrote on Friday, Oct 16 at 01:18 PM »
Not talking about a car dedicated to just Sugar Valley. Talking about maybe several times a day at least showing up and letting the meth lab operators and drug dealers know that there is at least some police presence out there. Maybe it would cut response times down from the 20 to 30 minutes it now takes. Maybe the officers would at least be familiar with the streets and roads where you don't spend 10 minutes trying to relay directions to 911 and watching the police go by again and again looking for an address. We also pay taxes and should be entitled to have coverage the same as the rest of the county even though we are west of the interstate and not as important as the east side of the county.
« pettyexpo wrote on Friday, Oct 16 at 10:13 AM »
I have one single question about a car patroling sugar valley. What would a patrol car do to reduce crime there??? In remote areas if a patrol car was there more than likely the crime would still occur. Stats are that most crimes in remote areas are Domestic in nature and occur in the home and thus the patrol car would not stop this type of crime. Does that mean that a car sould not drive through every once in a while no. But to only patrol that area with one car 24/7 would be a huge waste of resources.
« reformist wrote on Thursday, Oct 15 at 09:08 PM »
areyallstupid...who said we have not called the sheriff? In fact, we have called him and have talked to several deputies. No changes. Don't lecture others unless you know the facts. Your name says it all...yourself.
« areyallstupid wrote on Thursday, Oct 15 at 03:00 PM »
If you are talking about the Hummers that Calhoun City PD has. The police department acquired the vehicles through the GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management Agency) excess military property program.(Courtesy of the Calhoun Times.) Taxpayers had nothing to do with that. As far as, the patrol cars from the city of Resaca do you just want them to sit there unused? Would it not make better sense for the county to use them and possibly replace two of the older cars in their fleet? If you believe that there is not enough patrol in the Sugar Valley area call the sheriff. I sure that he would be interested in knowing the concerns of the citizens that he is sworn to protect, don't just get on a website and talk trash about him and his department.
« CVG wrote on Tuesday, Oct 13 at 09:34 PM »
Efficiency and budget restraints seems to motivate such moves as this...for instance here in Northern Kentucky...the city of Erlanger,which is

a suburb of Cincinnati dispatches for several villages and townships in the area. Just recently

the City of Erlanger took over the policing of a neighboring town of Cresent Springs..and the C-S

department was absorbed by Erlanger. There are numerous small incorporated areas here and one department doing the dispatching..So all that to make a point that you will see more consolidation in the future...good luck Gordon County and Resaca

« Robert E. Lee wrote on Tuesday, Oct 13 at 11:44 AM »
I guess this makes Resaca a "want-to-be" city, not a real city with its own cops. Question --will Gordon Co. now sit on I-75 and write tickets while the GSP works the wrecks. Somebody has got to guard the new road to the battlefield. Maybe we need more government.
« reformist wrote on Tuesday, Oct 13 at 07:43 AM »
One of the campaign promises of the current sheriff was increased patrols in areas of the county that had previously been neglected. RecognizingBS, you are correct about the equipment purchases and your assessment about the reasons for neglecting Sugar Valley are right on the money.
« RecognizingBS wrote on Monday, Oct 12 at 11:24 PM »
CALHOUN-GORDON COUNTY - POLICE "STATE" IN THE MAKING! Pretty soon, you won't be able to even back out of your driveway without bumping into a police car! More police cars than can be used, including the unnecesary purchase of TWO HUMMERS from "Good Ol' Boy" Prater Ford and contrac for more to be purchased with a $10 margin lower bid than dealerships outside Calhoun --- LAW ENFORCEMENT IS AN INDUSTRY in this town and county, and if Sugar Valley or Resaca isn't protected then its by choice of the existing authorities not to get up off their lazy laurels 'cause God knows they've been given enough money and equipment on the backs of the tax payers!
« reformist wrote on Monday, Oct 12 at 10:31 PM »
That is wonderful that Resaca will have an officer on duty from the sheriff's department. What would be nice would be an officer anywhere in the vicinity of Sugar Valley. It usually takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get one out here. I have not seen one on routine patrol since last year.
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