About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2016)
LOCAL CHAMPION! Aug. 4-10, 2016 » Page 2A Retired Chamblee officers to keep on-duty firearm Chamblee police chief Donny Williams poses with residents David Gilley, Erin Womack and councilman John Mesa. Picture submitted. by R. Scott Belzer sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com Police officers in Chamblee will be able to retain their firearms upon retirement following a recent city council ruling. The decision is based on SB 263, which amends the Georgia Code Annotated to allow cities and municipalities to govern their law enforcement divisions by adopting policies of their own. “The governing authority of each municipality and county in this state and each board of education which employs sworn police officers who are certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council may adopt policies under which such sworn officers, upon retirement from employment by such municipality, county, or board of education or upon leaving such employment as a result of a disability arising in the line of duty, shall be entitled, as part of his or her compensation, to retain his or her weapon and badge,” reads the official wording of the bill. Chamblee Police Chief Donny Williams presented the item to city council on July 19 and received unanimous approval. According to the agenda item, it is already customary for fellow police officers to purchase a replacement firearm for retirees as a retirement gift. In addition, officers receive badges, shoulder patches and name tags. The agenda item suggested retired officers are the best candidates for retaining and possessing weapons as they rejoin the public. “Qualified and retired police officers are permitted to carry firearms nationwide under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA),” reads the agenda item. “They must possess a retired police ID, Georgia POST ID, and continue to demonstrate firearms proficiency yearly. In today’s world, having veteran retired police officers who may be armed is just another first line of defense in any imminent threat situations.” Williams said council members questioned how often retired officers would be tested in Chamblee. “That’s a high-liability area, so they’ll go by the same standard as post, which is yearly,” Williams said. Williams said he heard about the bill from a Hall County newspaper, where Gainesville police officers re cently adopted the practice of keeping their on-duty firearm. He said he had been considering the possibility of a similar policy in Chamblee when trag edy struck Minnesota, Louisiana and Texas in early July. “It seems, timing wise, maybe this wasn’t the right time, but then I got to thinking, maybe this is the perfect time,” Williams said. “This is another way to show our appreciation for their service. It’s a practice that’s popular up north and in Marietta.” Williams said allowing officers to keep the weapons they are used to rather than a new gun would increase their effectiveness and remind them of their time serving Chamblee. “We have a core group of guys that are nearing retirement,” Williams said. “This is something the governor thought was worthy enough to sign and we think it’s worthy enough to do. It helps the department tell them ‘job well done.’” West Nile virus reported in Brookhaven by Carla Parker carla@dekalbchamp.com A mosquito collection from a DeKalb County Board of Health sampling station in Brookhaven tested positive for West Nile virus, the city announced in an email July 22. The sampling station is located in the Ashford Park area. The email said the DeKalb County Board of Health is working to prevent transmission of West Nile virus or any additional mos quito-borne virus, including chikungunya orZika. Pro gram technicians will be in the area providing additional mosquito control services, including applying larvicide and investigating for mos quito breeding sites, accord ing to the city. The larvicide product, metheprene, will keep mosquito larvae from developing into flying biting insects. Along with the larvi cide treatment, the city is encouraging residents to eliminate containers and other removable breeding sites that may hold water for five or more days. Some items such as bird baths should be dumped, scrubbed and rinsed twice a week, but need continual atten tion. Gutters should also be cleaned and checked to make sure they drain prop erly. According to the Cen ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people who become infected with West Nile virus do not develop symptoms. About one person in five who is infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Most people with this type of West Nile virus dis ease recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months, ac cording to the CDC. Less than 1 percent of people who are infected will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis—inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues, according to the CDC. The symptoms of neurologic illness can include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures or paralysis. Serious illness can occur in people of any age, however, people older than 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease, according to the CDC. People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk for serious illness. See West Nile on Page 4A Check Out the New Portal www.dakolbwatershed.com1 MORE ACCESS & EASIER PAYMENTS ONLINE New Features Include: • Self-enroll in E-billing and/or select to receive paper statements. • Name and password requirement for enhanced security. Ufo • Research your payment history and view billing statements. • Link multiple accounts allowing for greater account management. For more information or to pay your bill online, please visit us at www.dekalbwatershed.com. 1 $4 processing fee will apply; fee can be avoided with auto-pay.
