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WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 11A
Drug money lifts up police expenses in Braselton
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
FOR A town without a prop
erty tax, Braselton’s police chief
says he often reminds folks that
his department’s patrol vehicles
were paid for by drug dealers.
“These new cars you see us
drive, it doesn’t cost the city
of Braselton nothing — it’s all
paid for by drug dealers,” Terry
Esco says at meetings, such as
homeowners associations.
And the same could be said
for the police department’s
weapons, uniforms and a por
tion of Braselton’s firing range.
Ditto for bulletproof vests
and chug awareness advertise
ments.
Even a portion of the
Braselton Police and Municipal
Court Building, which opened
in 2006, is paid with money
taken from drug dealers.
Town manager Jennifer Dees
said she doesn’t remember
the last time Braselton bought
police vehicles using general
fund money.
“We’ve bought them all with
chug funds,” said Dees, who
estimates that the town has pur
chased 20 police vehicles over
the years.
That’s because Braselton is
one of more than 8,000 state
and local enforcement agencies
in the nation that participates in
a federal program that returns
seized drug money and assets
to local law enforcement agen
cies.
Since 2005, Braselton has
netted more than $2.6 million
in drug money through the U.S.
Department of Justice program,
according to audits.
“It’s made a big difference in
this town. I assure you that.” said
Esco, who has been Braselton’s
police chief for 20 years. “We
wouldn’t have a lot of things
that we do have.”
The U.S. Department
of Justice outlines what law
enforcement agencies can and
can’t do with that seized drag
money.
Training costs, detention facil
ities, law enforcement equip
ment, investigation expenses,
and drag and gang education
programs are some of the things
the federal program will fund.
It won’t pay for salaries
— except for certain purposes,
such as overtime for officers
and investigators, and the first
year of a new officer’s salary.
“It’s just helped us tremen
dously here, as far as buying
equipment (and) sending our
guys to school for training,”
Esco said.
Braselton has also used the
federal asset forfeiture program
to buy laptops in each of its
patrol vehicles, a specialized
fire suppressant system for its
evidence room and a parking
lot at the police department.
Dees said.
Local enforcement agen
cies can further ask the U.S.
Department of Justice if it’ll
fund other expenses beyond the
federal guidelines.
But the tricky aspect of the
program is that officials can’t
anticipate in advance in general
fund budgets what the town will
get in drag money.
“You can’t offset your budget
with drag funds,” Esco said.
“It’s illegal.”
And getting the money stem
ming from a drag seizure could
be a years-long process.
“We got some money in the
past fiscal year that was from
five years ago.” Dees said.
Those law enforcement agen
cies participating in the fed
eral program are required to
complete annual audits. Since
the 2010 fiscal year ended on
Wednesday, June 30, the town
won’t have its latest report
available for a few months.
Dees said.
For the most recent audit avail
able, Braselton got $139,700 for
the 2009 fiscal year. The town
earned the most money in 2006,
when it got $1.2 million.
After money or assets are
seized from a suspected drag
dealer, the defendant’s case then
has to wind through the judi
cial process. With appeals, that
could take years.
Then, the federal department
of justice determines which law
enforcement agencies involved
Contractors to survey poles
JACKSON EMC has begun a
joint-use pole survey in which con
tractors will review 130,000 poles,
starting in Gwinnett County, and
work their way through Jackson
EMC’s service territory. The survey
is expected to take eight months.
Contractors’ vehicles will dis
play “Contractors for Jackson
EMC” decals. All contractors have
Jackson EMC contractor photo
identification badges, along with a
letter of authorization to conduct
work on behalf of Jackson EMC.
"Our contractors will be in
all areas where our wood poles
are located, sometimes this will
be close to members’ homes as
they inspect our poles. We want
to be sure members are aware of
this project,” said Greg Broussard,
JEMC engineering services direc
tor.
‘Unfortunately, imposters some
times pose as utility personnel to
gain access to homes,” he added.
“We want to be sure this doesn’t
happen to our members. This
work doesn’t require contractors
to enter members’ homes.”
Cable television and telephone
companies attach their wires to the
cooperative’s poles. The joint-use
contracts between these compa
nies and Jackson EMC requires a
field audit of poles every five years
to confirm the pole connections.
Jackson EMC is a not-for-profit
electric cooperative that provides
power to more than 204,000
meters in 10 Northeast Georgia
counties.
in the case get a specified per
centage of the drag funds. The
more agencies involved in a
case, the smaller financial slice
of the pie are handed out to each
of the agencies.
“Just because you are
involved in some kind of police
activity that results in money
being seized, does not mean
that you’ll ever get any of it and
you can never count on when
you’ll get it,” Dees said.
Despite patrolling six miles
and two interchanges on 1-85,
the majority of Braselton’s drag
funds don’t come from the
interstate.
Instead, the town has a
partnership with the Drag
Enforcement Administration
(DEA) that leads to seized drag
money benefiting Braselton —
even if the funds weren’t col
lected in the town.
Several years ago, a federal
agency approached the town
about funding a partnership for
the asset forfeiture program.
Esco said.
The deal includes Braselton
paying for the salary of a sworn
DEA officer, who is involved in
arresting suspected drag deal
ers.
A percentage of that drag
money seized by the sworn
DEA officer — who works for
the Braselton Police Department
— then comes back to the town,
Esco said.
“The money that is seized in
Atlanta and wherever they seize
it from — if he’s involved in
any seizure, we get a percent
age,” Esco said.
Braselton also pays for the
cell phone, vehicle and gas
for that officer — who started
working for the town in 2005.
he added. The DEA pays for his
overtime expenses.
Esco calls the partnership
between the town and the DEA
a “win-win situation.” Other
area law enforcement agencies,
as such as those in Gwinnett
County, have a similar partner
ship with federal agencies, he
said.
“A lot of it comes from the
Braselton police officer that’s
attached to the DEA,” Esco
said. “Some of it comes from
traffic stops that we make on
the interstate.”
Several years ago, Braselton
netted its single-largest drag
seizure when police arrested
two suspected narcotics deal
ers on the interstate. Stuffed in
hidden compartments in their
track was more than $500,000
in cash.
“It’s drag money — it’s dirty
money, it’s money that drag
dealers use.” Esco said.
Braselton further doles out
its share of seized drag funds to
the Georgia State Patrol, which
assists police.
For the 2008 and 2009 fiscal
years, the town gave troopers
more than $22,600 from the
program.
Despite carrying at least a
six-figure reserve every year
since the end of the 2005 fis
cal year, Braselton now faces a
dwindling account for its seized
drag money account.
Braselton finished the 2009
fiscal year — which ended
on June 30, 2009 — with no
reserves to carry to the 2010
fiscal year.
The town spent $343,000 in
the 2009 fiscal year — when it
got $139,000 in federal funds
and had $202,000 in reserves.
That fiscal year, Braselton
spent more than $256,000 in
drag money for building and
improvement costs.
Dees said the funds are used
to pay the town’s bonds for a
portion of the police and munic
ipal court building.
Braselton moved to a full
time police department in 2001
and started participating in the
federal program probably in
2002, Dees said. The town cur
rently has 11 officers.
“If we didn’t have this pro
gram, we probably would not
be able to fund as many offi
cers as we have, because of the
equipment that we buy with
the federal money,” she said.
“That’s freed up the funds for
the police department to have
the personnel that are necessary
to patrol the town.”
NOTICE
The North Jefferson Voting Precinct located at
2758 U.S. Highway 129 North, Jefferson, has been
moved to the Jefferson Parks and Recreation
Department located at 2495 Old Pendergrass
Road, Jefferson. All registered voters in this
Precinct will vote at the Jefferson Parks and
Recreation Department beginning with the July
20, 2010 Primary Election.
The Newtown Voting Precinct located at 5466
U.S. Highway 441 South, Nicholson, has been
moved to the Nicholson Community Center
located at 129 Lakeview Drive, Nicholson. All
registered voters in this Precinct will vote at the
Nicholson Community Center beginning with the
July 20, 2010 Primary Election.
Independence
Gratitude
Shannon Sell
To most of us Independence Day means a day off work -
grilling ribs or burgers outside with friends and family, and
maybe going to tire lake or beach. I've always thought it an
interesting question...as our forefathers were signing The
Declaration of Independence, how did they anticipate and
expect that we would honor the anniversary of that day
decades and centuries into the future? I wonder how satisfied
they would be with the way in which we celebrate today what
they provided for us so many years ago.
I take a lot of interest in war history. America has fought
and is fighting in many wars across the globe. I read old
stories and watch the movies of our young fighting service
men and women of WWII. I realize the sacrifices they made
for the freedom we enjoy today. I personally believe that most
of America has forgotten this. Our military today fights on
foreign land to protect our home here today. Do American
civilians really give them enough thanks? I have never served
in tire military, but I have family and friends that have or who
are serving today; they all have my greatest respect. I am truly
grateful for the independence and freedom for which our
forefathers fought and our military protects for us today.
As my personal thanks to anyone who has or is serving in
tire armed forces, I offer the following: from July 4, 2010 until
Labor Day 2010, The Sell Group, LLC. will offer a substantial
reduction in fees for our services. Please come see us for
details; it would be our honor to serve you.
Shannon Sell is the broker & owner of The Sell Group,
LLC, a full-service real estate firm located in
downtown Hoschton. He can be reached at
706-654-5691. Timno.thesellgroupoidine.com
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706-543-1335
No longer valid after July 16, 2010
New sewer line could help
proposed hospital campus
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
BRASELTON IS applying for
a federal grant that could help the
town provide sewer service to a
proposed new hospital.
The town council recendy
agreed to seek a grant from the
U.S. Department of Commerce
through its Economic
Development Administration.
If approved, the $1.5 mil
lion grant would help fund a
new sewer line on Thompson
Mill Road to Northeast Georgia
Health System’s proposed 100-
bed hospital in South Hall. The
project has a tentative cost of $4
million, including a portion of
the Mulberry River sewer south
portion that the town has had
under design and planning for
some time, according to town
manager Jennifer Dees.
In addition. Braselton has
its 2009 water and sewer bond
funds, wastewater capacity fees
and user fee revenue available for
the project, she added.
Northeast Georgia plans to
build an estimated $209 million
medical campus in Braselton.
The first building — Medical
Plaza I — opened in 2008.
The Gainesville-based health
system is still in a legal battle
with Barrow Regional Medical
Center, which is contesting
the proposed new hospital in
Braselton.
Barrow Regional asked the
Georgia Supreme Court in April
to make a decision in the case,
after the state’s court of appeals
overturned a lower court’s ruling
and allowed Northeast Georgia
to build the hospital.
Northeast Georgia officials
have said they feel confident that
it will win the legal challeng
es and open a new hospital on
Thompson Mill Road in 2014.
And once opened, the new
hospital is expected to create
more than 500 jobs in Braselton.
The town’s federal grant appli
cation is based on the potential
creation of a large number of
jobs in the area and sewer service
being available for the employer
— Northeast Georgia Health
System.
Dees said the new sewer line
would be designed to serve other
potential users in the basin that
are within Braselton’s service
area.
The application is due on Aug.
15 — and unless there is a delay
in adopting the federal budget,
Braselton may learn if it has
received the grant in November
or December. Dees added.
Construction may start in mid to
late 2011.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Braselton
Town Council
•met in a closed-door meeting
for an hour and three minutes to
discuss pending litigation, acqui
sition of real estate and person
nel. The council took no action
when the meeting was opened to
the public.
•approved its FYE 2011 gen
eral fund budget for $2.7 million,
and its water and wastewater
budget for $5.7 million.
SECURITY OFFICERS
Immediate Openings
Walden Security
is accepting applications for
Security Officers
in the Jefferson area
Requirements:
18 years of age, Drug screen,
no criminal record,
high school graduate/GED,
reliable transportation.
Prior military, police and retirees
are encouraged to apply.
Competitive pay & benefits.
Apply online at
www.waldensecurity.com
For more info, contact HR
770-394-3111
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