The law

Published 12:03 am Sunday, May 13, 2018

I’ve found it amusing that some people here in the South when driving along and spotting a police officer or a deputy sheriff on patrol will say “Hey, you better slow down … there’s the law.” They call law enforcement officers by that which they enforce. It’s an interesting way to think about it.

Law enforcement employees are “sworn officers,” sworn to uphold the law. They swear an honorable oath to the law itself and not any individual or position. This means they are sworn to a higher standard and a general cause separate from any one person or position. When we talk about the “long arm of the law,” law enforcement officers are the hand, the muscle and the reach that the phrase alludes to.

There are a variety of organizations that work to enforce the law. There are city, county, state and national agencies that are given general or sometimes specific parts of the law to oversee. On the local level there might be a patrol police officer or a county deputy or even a specific assignment like a school resource officer assigned to a certain school. On the other end of the scale might be an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation looking into a federal crime. An agent like that might come from Atlanta or even Washington, D.C., to the local area.

Whether local, state or national, the women and men that make up the law enforcement force that protect and serve are a rare group of professionals that are there to help keep our society running the way it’s meant to. Here are some of the positions and jobs that impact our community in law enforcement.

City police

For the city, there’s the police chief. The chief of police is hired by the city. He does not have to run for election but he is ultimately responsible to the citizens as he is hired by their elected officials. It’s a degree of separation that makes a police chief a professional position but one that is still involved with the politics of the city.

As this column goes to press, a new Dalton police chief is about to be hired. The way Dalton does it is that the Public Safety Commission handles the search and then will vote on the candidate. The vote is non-binding, meaning the City Council has the final say on our next police chief. Although the PSC is not elected, the members are appointed by elected officials. The five members of this standing commission have five-year terms, and so one member cycles out every year. Dalton has used the Public Safety Commission for this and other purposes since 1945. Once hired, the police chief will work closely with the mayor, the City Council and the district attorney, all elected positions.

The foundation for the police department is the numerous patrol officers out on the beat. They come face to face with the community daily. They respond to calls for assistance whether it’s a minor or major thing. I’ve often heard someone say “Well, why are there so many traffic cops just sitting there waiting to give tickets instead of out arresting drug dealers?” When talking to an officer a while back I asked specifically about that. The officer pointed out to me the number of people hurt and property damaged in car wrecks and that traffic enforcement is a key to keeping citizens safe. When you look at the statistics, it makes sense.

Dalton has more than 80 officers and if you add to that the Cohutta, Varnell and Tunnel Hill forces, the number is in the 100 range. The duties of the officers range from patrolling to investigating to testifying to juries to serving warrants and myriad other jobs that go way beyond pulling speeders over. There are sergeants, captains and detectives and division commanders and specialized assignments that all work together to keep society working. Some of the divisions in the force include criminal investigation, support services and patrol.

County law enforcement

For the county, there’s the sheriff. The sheriff is an elected law enforcement officer. The sheriff must run for election usually every four years, which allows the voters direct hire or fire over the position. Just think if your job performance was reviewed publicly by everyone in the county every few years and put to a vote. And someone was running against you. And the newspaper was covering your work. Sheesh. That would keep you on your toes.

But that’s how it’s meant to be. Since sheriffs are elected and don’t necessarily have to have previous law enforcement experience, the state has a type of “sheriffs school” that sheriffs attend to make sure they know the basics. There’s a big difference between what you might think sheriffs do and what they actually do, even if you’ve watched every episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” three times.

Under the sheriff’s supervision are the deputies, and they are divided in jobs along similar lines as the city police. One major difference is that the sheriff’s department is charged with running the jail. The officers there handle the processing in and out, the visitation by lawyers or family and the day-to-day processes of internment. That’s a job that’s generally out of sight but please don’t let it be out of mind when thinking of law enforcement duties.

You may have seen Western films where the sheriff swears in a posse of deputies from the townfolk, and the blacksmith, barber and bartender all mount up and go after the black-hatted bad guys. It doesn’t work that way now, so unless you have a degree in criminal justice and have met the requirements of the office for the county, you don’t need to worry about being asked to strap on a six-shooter and heading out in the middle of the night to track down varmints.

Other law enforcers

The police force patrol officers and the sheriff’s department patrol deputies aren’t the only ones that keep watch over the maintenance of the law in the community. There are several other local members of the law enforcement team. Inside the court there are bailiffs. The bailiffs are there to do important jobs such as escort the jury from place to place and to help keep order in the court. A judge’s gavel is good to get your attention but unless the judge comes out from behind the bench to bonk you on the noggin with it, it’s the bailiffs that make sure things stay courtly.

You may have seen a car in town with the word “constable” on the side. I always think of a small town in New England that has a constable in place of a police chief, but our constable is an important adjunct to local law enforcement. The constable falls under the control of the Magistrate Court of Whitfield County and although they can enforce the law most of their services are in carrying out various work of the court. Much of law enforcement involves unpleasant issues and the constable is charged with overseeing one that can be pretty upsetting to all parties involved, and that is evictions. If it has come down to an eviction, it’s a situation where all parties have fallen short of desired goals and is a “last resort” issue.

Animal control in the county deals with a lot more if you’re just thinking of a “dog catcher.” They don’t run around with a big net and scoop up would be “Lady and Tramps.” They help with rabies control, wild animal situations, spay and neutering and getting homes for strays. At the end of the day the dog catcher of old is closer to a “dog and cat saver” these days. The Animal Control department is also there to educate the public as well as inform them about proper pet owner responsibilities.

When you think of the fire department, you usually think of heroes rushing into burning buildings to rescue people, but enforcement of the fire prevention codes on the books is that ounce of prevention that is worth many pounds of pressurized water pressure cure to put out a fire. They do inspections and oversee the correct implementation of the codes on the book, such as sprinkler systems and maintenance of such things as protective burn walls.

While we are talking about law enforcement it’s important to note that the adjunct to “laws” are various “codes” and “ordinances.” Lawmakers vote and pass a law, for example, dealing with building requirements stating that all buildings must have sprinkler systems. But that law may include a directive that orders the fire department to set forth the specifics of how the law will be carried out. It turns over a general idea to the experts for the specific “codes” that the law calls for. So some people you wouldn’t normally think of as “law enforcement” are there to see that the law is carried out, people such as the fire chief or the city or county engineer and building inspector. They go on site to make sure the law of the land is met.

These are just a sampling of local law enforcement groups that make sure everything runs as smooth and as safely as possible for the day-to-day workings of civilization. They are the individuals that have to know the ins and outs of protecting and serving and putting a face on “the law.”

Mark Hannah, a Dalton native, works in video and film production.