Monthly report for August 2022
Dear Citizens,
I want to express my sincere appreciation and how very thankful I am to the Navarro County citizens for voting me "Best of the Best County Law Enforcement Officer." To have been voted "Best of the Best" nine years in a row now, I feel not only extremely honored but am especially humbled and greatly appreciate your continued encouragement and support particularly during this past year. Calvin Coolidge said "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave."
It has been an honor to have served you for almost 34 years, with the past 9+ as your sheriff, fulfilling my responsibilities with dedication and integrity. I promise to continue taking pride in my position, my duties and staying dedicated to serving the citizens of this county.
It's hard to believe another summer has come and gone and students are back in class. As you well know, back to school time is an important event for our entire community.
Teachers are back in the routine, classrooms are ready, administrators worked on school bus routes, staffing and school safety concerns. Parents have once again coordinated work and school schedules, car pools and support for their child's activities and studies. Businesses and organizations are helped provide families, teachers and administrators with the supplies and services they need for a successful school year.
Back to school is always an extremely busy time for everyone and it really does affect us all. So please, during this busy time, be extra cautious when driving and in traffic. Be mindful of all our school zones especially during the morning hours and early afternoons. Keep an extra look out for potential hazards around our schools and in neighborhoods where children are more active walking, riding bikes and at play. Slow down and increase your stopping distances. Again with school buses back on the roads, please be aware of school bus routes in your neighborhood and throughout your daily travel.
Leave plenty of time and space for buses and with school traffic, anticipate delays in your travel and leave early enough so you're not in a rush. Please remember that when approaching a school zone or school bus on the road, be prepared to stop for bus and pedestrian traffic and by all means do not text and drive. Obey ALL "No cell phone" posted signs. I want to thank all of you who help make our education system an integral, positive force in our community. Our children are counting on us so let's work together to make "Back to School" a rewarding, fun and safe time for all Navarro County residents.
Thank you to Navarro County Sheriff's Office Captain Melanie Cagle and Deputy José Martinez who represented the NCSO as they passed out smiles, goodies and supplies at the Back to School Rally at CHS a few weeks ago. Hope everyone has had a great start to the new school year and stay safe!
This month, as part of the NCSO inmate (trustee) work program, we introduced a couple of our inmates to the almost forgotten profession of hauling square bale hay. I have always felt it important to help educate these inmates in various roles of ranching and other professions. Therefore, we use inmate labor when possible to encourage and help them to utilize and apply any skills learned while incarcerated, toward employment once released. We are putting up the square bale hay to support our estray livestock program throughout the year.
We are definitely thankful for the rain we have recently received which led to the burn ban being lifted.
We at the NCSO would like to congratulate Aaron Moses on being promoted to Corporal in the Detention Division effective August 15th. We wish Corporal Moses all the best in his new position.
The Sheriff's Office had approximately 3,197 calls for service in August and our dispatch received 1,922 calls for assistance to 9-1-1. There were approximately 201 persons arrested and booked into the Navarro County Justice Center and the average daily jail population was 247 inmates. Twenty two inmates were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and four inmates were transferred to State Jail and SAFP Units to serve their sentences.
In August, we estrayed two bulls which were hauled to our county farms at Petty's Chapel and Angus, sold two estray donkeys at the Elkhart Horse Sale for $119.50 and collected $165 in estray livestock fees.
We are accepting applications for all divisions and currently have vacancies in detention, dispatch, patrol, courthouse security, administration and the criminal investigation division. Remember the hiring age for dispatch and detention has been lowered to 18 but with all other enforcement positions, you must be 21 or older to apply. As in the past, applications will continue to be taken for any vacancy until the position is filled.
"Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular." -Roy T. Bennett
As always God Bless and be safe.
Sheriff Elmer Tanner
