Alto police chief wants new officer
New officer would expand police protection
BY LELAND ACKER

The struggle for manpower is not just a problem of large police departments, said Alto Police Chief Charles Barron, it is also a problem for smaller departments. That struggle has affected the Alto Police Department.

The Alto Police Department currently has three full-time officers in addition to Chief Barron.

"Right now, our night time officer goes off at midnight, maybe as late as 2 a.m.," Chief Barron said. "They remain on call until 6 a.m."

That four to six hour lapse in coverage is covered partly by the Cherokee County Sheriff 's Office.

"We do real well here," Chief Barron said. "At night

time, the sheriff's department knows we are down to one officer most of the time."

While sheriff 's deputies help with gaps in coverage for the city of Alto, the sheriff 's office has a responsibility to the entire county, meaning that Alto can not have 24- hour police coverage with the current structure in place. Such was evident Sept. 9, 2007, as Louise Pickett was assaulted in her home at approximately 4:25 a.m. by a suspected burglar. Alto Police Officer Tracy Bjornson, the officer on call, was able to answer the call quickly, but neighbors and relatives of Mrs. Pickett voiced their displeasure at the gap in police coverage at the following city council meeting.

"I feel bad when that happens and it makes me want to choke myself," Chief Barron said. "You have incidents at 4:30 a.m. once or twice per year."

Chief Barron said night time coverage suffers because his three officers have to be scheduled well enough to cover peak times.

"After midnight, calls for service are minimal," Chief Barron said. "Our (off-duty) police response is as good as the on-duty response in a larger department."

Still, Chief Barron said police coverage can be improved with an additional full-time officer. That officer could also provide vacation relief for the officers currently on staff.

"I can visualize coverage up to 5 a.m.," Chief Barron said. "We could have a system where there is only one hour with no coverage as opposed to now where we have a five or six hour gap."

The Alto City Council considered ideas to fill in the gap in police protection during its Sept. 12, 2007, and April 14 meetings. Ideas to fill coverage ranged from starting a neighborhood watch program to adding additional reserve officers. While Chief Barron said he appreciates the work performed by the reserves he has, he objects to taking on reserves who are inexperienced and have no ties to Alto.

"I have a high opinion of my current reserves," he said, adding that one is currently serving a second tour-of-duty in Iraq. "My objection to taking on someone new who is fresh out of the academy is that I would have to place him with another officer to train him. That does not free anyone up.

"There's also a liability issue for the city. The new reserve would be dealing with people's lives. Someone who is not on the payroll will not be overly concerned with how his actions affect the city. With a paid officer, he knows there are disciplinary consequences."

Starting pay for police officers in Alto is $12 per hour. After a six month probation, Alto police officers are paid $12.25 per hour. Currently, the highest paid officer in Alto makes $13.93 per hour.

Officers are paid straight time-and-one-half for overtime and for working holidays.

Chief Barron said he is happy with his current officers.

"I am very fortunate to keep who I have for what we pay."