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Programs benefit county, sheriff says
New and planned programs the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is participating in should greatly benefit the county, Sheriff Bob Alford said Thursday.
Alford discussed the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, Victim Information and Notification Everyday program, Wise Eyes, Bullying Hurts and other programs at the weekly Cleburne Rotary Club meeting.
“I was driving down North Main Street bombarded by all the big trucks when I thought of Sheriff Alford’s program,” District Judge Bill Bosworth said in introducing Alford. “And I thought it would be good for him to discuss the different programs going on at the sheriff’s department.”
The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, which enforces safety measures for large truck traffic throughout the county, began Oct. 1, Alford said.
Since then, the county has collected $98,982 in fines and arrested six drivers with felony warrants, Alford said. Two deputies work the program, Alford said, although he hopes to use more in the future.
Alford said the program is much needed, especially in light of increased truck traffic from gas drilling and the county’s growth in recent years.
“I’ve been run off the road four times by those big trucks,” Alford said. “Of course, I have the advantage of hidden lights on my pickup so I can pull them over and talk to them. But the rest of the citizens don’t have that opportunity.”
Most of the problems with big trucks arise from smaller companies, not larger ones such as Devon Energy and Chesapeake Energy, Alford said.
“If you can chew gum and have a commercial drivers license you’ve got a job,” Alford joked. “So there’s always a few, but the majority of drivers are good, hard working people just trying to earn a living. We’re seeing results and getting the companies’ attention with the program.”
In the VINE program, crime victims are notified of when their attacker leaves jail on bond, goes before a parole board or finishes a jail sentence. The Texas attorney general’s office pays for the program, Alford said.
Alford also praised the Wise Eyes program, which alerts residents of recent or ongoing crimes and neighborhood watch programs throughout the county.
“There’s no better deterrent to crime than a good, nosy neighbor,” Alford said.
Alford said his office is working with the Pecan Valley Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center to accept mentally ill inmates who shouldn’t be in jail and who Alford said the jail is not equipped to deal with.
A Child Fatality Review team is in the works. It will be available to all law enforcement departments in the county. The team will review all suspicious deaths of children up to 3 years old.
Alford took the opportunity to brag on his department, too.
“A jail is a necessary evil and a tax burden, but we try to alleviate that a bit with programs such as housing inmates from out of county,” Alford said. “Since 1997 we’ve collected about $1.725 million in revenues from other counties. We also had a 53 percent clearance rate on major cases last year. The state average is 17 percent. But it’s not because of me. It’s the great staff working with me.”
Cleburne Rotary Club President Adam Miles called Alford’s appearance a success.
“He’s always informative and an asset to our community,” Miles said. “I especially appreciate Sheriff Alford speaking with the club about the efforts he and his office are making to help with management of our roadways and the truck traffic we have.”
By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
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