MAYOR SAYS POLICE NEGLECTED TOWN'S NEEDS

Gruetli-Laager Force Ignored Local Crime for Out-Of-County Busts, Officials Say

GRUETLI-LAAGER, Tenn. - This city's new mayor said city aldermen voted on
Aug. 15 to dissolve the Gruetli-Laager Police Department because it
neglected local crimes in favor of investigations in nearby counties.

"We weren't paying them to go out of the county and bust meth labs," said
Mayor Donna Rollins. "We pay them to take care of our city."

Former Police Chief Ferrell Hicks could not be reached for comment
Wednesday. He has refused to discuss the issue since the vote put the
four-person department out of business.

On Wednesday, the Grundy County Sheriff's Department was patrolling this
small mountain town.

Mayor Rollins, who was elected in March, said she campaigned on a platform
of reforming the police department.

She and her predecessor, Wanda Hart, both said citizens were worried the
police weren't paying attention to small-time crimes. "We wanted to see
them busting Joe Schmoe the drunk driver," Ms. Hart said.

A new statewide report on crime in Tennessee said only 25 criminal
incidents were reported to the Gruetli-Laager police in 2001. According to
the report compiled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the
department made 11 arrests for the year and cleared nine of the 25 offenses.

Of the offenses reported, nine were drug or narcotics violations, the
report stated. Department members trained with the Southeast Tennessee
Methamphetamine Task Force, said Capt. David Hamby of the Hamilton County
Sheriff 's Department, the agency that disburses federal funds for the
22-county task force. But Capt. Hamby said the department's contribution to
fighting the meth blight was slight.

He said the Grundy County Sheriff 's Department was more active in the task
force than the Gruetli-Laager police were. Mayor Rollins said the city
could use the department's budget for other things.

This year's $1.1 million city budget included $106,000 for police salaries
and $68,000 for training. The salaries alone are "more than half of what
the city takes in," Mayor Rollins said. "There are several buildings like
the senior center and community center that are in disrepair and we'd like
to maybe use the police money for bettering these."

Jim Finane works for the Municipal Technical Advisory Service, a program of
the University of Tennessee that provides operational expertise to small
cities. Mr. Finane said it's typical for police expenses to dominate a
small city's budget, and that sometimes the burden just gets too heavy.

Rockford, a town of about 800 people in Blount County between Knoxville and
Maryville, disbanded its force this year, Mr. Finane said. Coalmont, not
far from Gruetli-Laager, disbanded its police department a few years ago.
"We don't keep records, but I can tell you it doesn't happen often," he said.

Mayor Rollins said she will talk to the aldermen about whether to contract
with the Sheriff's Department to continue patrolling the town or to
organize a new police department.

Alderman Jim Layne, whose vote was among the four in favor of disbanding
the department, said Tuesday the money that the city was spending on the
police department could be used for other things. "We have stuff around
here that needs fixing," he said.

Alderman Wayne Grimes, the sole vote against disbanding the force, could
not be reached for comment.