Thursday, February 5, 2015

Sheriff rips mayors on radio vote

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones said he opposes a move by the city and county mayors that would force officials to vote on a multimillion dollar emergency broadcasting system contract, and added that the two would be better informed if they attended the E-911 Board meetings.

In a letter to the E-911 Board’s attorney, the sheriff called out Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, essentially saying that the safety of local first responders and residents – not politics – is his top priority.

“Officials who never attended in the past are now going to show up at a special called (E-911) Board meeting to force a vote on a radio system that I know has had problems in the past and will ultimately cost the taxpayers $15 to $20 million dollars,” Jones wrote in a letter to Donald Howell that he also posted to the Sheriff’s Office website.

He added: “If these officials and the media had been at the prior meetings, they would be aware of the (dissension) among the group with regard to the inadequacies of the system.”

Read the rest of the story RIGHT HERE.

Read the sheriff's entire letter RIGHT HERE.

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