HENRY COUNTY - I AM CALLING YOU OUT FOR UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
3347901729
Date: May 05 2021 12:44 PM

HENRY COUNTY:   

I AM CALLING YOU OUT !!!!

HENRY COUNTY

What occurred in Henry County on Saturday, May 1, 2021 from 06:00 hours until 10:30 hours ...

IS 1 MILLION PERCENT UNACCEPTABLE

RSN has been critical of Henry County for having three communication centers. At the time dispatch was in Abbeville Police Department, Henry County Jail and Headland Police Department.

Since that time Abbeville Police and Henry County Sheriff combined into HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL dispatch under the command of Henry County Emergency Management Director Ronnie Dollar. Dollar is a former investigator with the Barbour-Bullock County District Attorney Office, former investigator for Eufaula Police Department and former Chief of Police in a town about Auburn.

While Abbeville Police and Henry County Sheriff combined into HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL, Headland Police maintained their communications center. Both Abbeville Police Chief and Henry County Sheriff had zero day to day management of the HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL. It was under EMA Director Ronnie Dollar who only reports to Henry County Probate Judge/Henry County Commission Chairman David Money. But in addition to the duties Ronnie Dollar has as Henry County Emergency Management Director, Chairman Money made Dollar in charge of Henry County Personnel and Deputy Coroner for Henry County, and now HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL.

On Saturday a dispatcher called Dollar at 5 AM that they were sick and unable to come to work. Dollar called Henry County 911 at about 5:50 AM and had the 911 lines rolled from Abbeville to Headland. No other measures were taken to make sure all bases were covered. Dollar did not respond to the HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL to make sure all bases were covered.

WHAT WAS NOT COVERED: (1) Abbeville Police non-emergency number, 334-585-2222 were not call forwarded and no one to answer the phone (2) Henry County Sheriff non-emergency number, 334-585-3131 were not call forwarded and no one to answer the phone (3) no one had the ability to talk to Abbeville Policeman on duty via radio.

The importance of the non-emergency numbers being answered - (1) the pendants worn by seniors or people with illness which they press call the non-emergency numbers and not 911 (2) burglar alarms call the non-emergency numbers and not 911. Just two brief examples.

Saturday May 1 was the Yatta Abba day in Abbeville. Over the course of the day an estimated 1,000 persons was in Abbeville during the day. The non-emergency lines of Abbeville Police and Henry County Sheriff - no one was answering them. The Abbeville Police Officer(s) could not talk to anyone. Their radios will not talk to Henry County Sheriff Deputies or Headland Police.

ABBEVILLE - The City of Abbeville pays from the Police Department budget $ 125,000.00 per year for the Henry County Central Dispatch. Abbeville Police Chief Eric Blakenship was furious about the lack of management and asked for a meeting which included: Henry County Probate Judge/Commission Chairman David Money, Henry County Sheriff Will Maddox, Headland Police Chief and Mayor and Abbeville Police Chief and Mayor. While Chairman Money said he would meet with Chief Blakenship this afternoon the others requested Chairman Money said did not need to meet. Sheriff Maddox said a plan was decided months ago. So Chief Blakenship, who out of his budget contributes $ 125,000.00 per year, has been denied a meeting. EMA Director Ronnie Dollar said that Blakenship needed to learn how to act as a Police Chief. REALLY??? If I am Chief of Police and my phones were not being answered and the police officers had no radio coverage Dollar has not seen the way most Chief of Police would act. If someone died because the lack of coverage Dollar would see a reaction that could cost Henry County hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Chief Blakenship treasures his working relationship with Sheriff Will Maddox. He treasures his working relationship with Henry County Sheriff Department. When Dollar makes the statement that Chief Blakenship needs to act like a Chief of Police, then he needs to yank the $ 125,000.00 from HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL and place them with Headland Police for 24/7, 365 communications. But if he does so that will cause a rift between Abbeville Police and Henry County Sheriff which Chief Blakenship does not want to do. 

RSN is of the opinion Chief Blakenship should act as a Chief of Police, yank the money and tell the Probate Judge and Sheriff, ya'll might be willing to sacrifice the safety of the citizens and law enforcement of Henry County, but as Chief of Police I am not. Chairman Money you forced me to pick your feelings and those of the Sheriff or the citizens I took a oath to serve and the law enforcement officers I am responsible for ... without hesitation I pick the citizens and officers over your ego and personal dislike of Headland Police Chief Mark Jones.

Chief Blakenship has attempted to work the problem out. In fact, I have known of this since Saturday. I spoke with Chief Blakenship and EMA Director Ronnie Dollar. NEITHER NOTIFIED ME OF NO DISPATCHER - no one in law enforcement notified me - a citizen did. But Chief Blakenship asked me to not do a article because he was attempting to meet with each party responsible. Each day I have asked him about a joint meeting. Seeing none has occurred I am no longer honoring Chief Blakenship request.

TO ALL PARTIES - CHAIRMAN MONEY, MEMBERS OF HENRY COUNTY COMMISSION, HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF WILL MADDOX, ABBEVILLE MAYOR AND POLICE CHIEF, HEADLAND MAYOR AND POLICE CHIEF

Henry County is to small of a county for all parties not to get along. The safety and security of the citizens and public is to important for you not to get along. Each of you are more important in your own eyes then the eyes of the citizens and law enforcement. So stop feeling your importance, get one communications center and all of you pull in the same direction which is to serve the citizens. Each of you asked for your jobs which are not positions but jobs to serve your citizens.

Chairman Money, I realize have been pursuing the central communications center I have been critical of Henry County not having. But you plan failed and there are no acceptable answers. Dollar should have gone to Abbeville Saturday morning and been on hand to answer the phones and radio until a dispatcher could be located. There are no acceptable excuses. Dollar fired the dispatcher who called in. That being so, Dollar neglected his responsibility of management. Why is he still employed? Is it because he is your CHOSEN ONE? That is not acceptable.

When you take the responsibility on, then it is the sole responsibility of the person chosen as the management to have someone there or be there themselves. That was not doing and is a major neglect of duty violation.

Headland Police Department is a turn key operation for the central dispatch. When Henry County gets the funds construct a facility. With all six of you, and there are only six beside your council, pick a independent person to be over the Central Communications not employed with either agency. But Dollar has to many hats and honestly he dropped the ball Saturday. That is unacceptable.

In Closing - April was 12 years ago Henry County Sheriff Deputy Ted Yost took a gunshot to the face. This ended his career as a law enforcement officer. In the same incident Headland Police Officer Dexter Hammond lost his life as a law enforcement officer. Several years ago on Highway 431 a Henry County Sheriff Deputy was forced to use deadly physical force. Also several years ago lawn enforcement from the Sheriff Department and Abbeville Police were forced to discharge their weapon and shoot someone who survived the gunshot. In 4.5 hours this past Saturday anything could have happened.

One week prior, in Henry County, the weather overturned a mobile home and two people were trapped. While HENRY COUNTY CENTRAL had dispatchers when that occurred, fast forward one week, the same 4.5 hour without is the same 4.5 hour window the people were trapped. This could have occurred this past Saturday.

THE ATTITUDE TAKEN IS UNACCEPTABLE and must be changed within hours and not ignored.

TO THE CITIZENS THROUGHOUT HENRY COUNTY AND LEGAL COMMUNITY - save this article. Because if the Chairman of Henry County Commission and Henry County Commissioners do not resolve this issue, this letter could serve as notice of the problem of which you might need in a future law suit in their official capacity and personal capacity. The Sheriff has some immunity but not total immunity of intentional neglect.

The employee terminated for being sick, you could have a action if the Chairman of the Henry County Commission fails to hold the management to the same standards you were held to. Need to speak with legal counsel.

REALIZE LADIES IN GENTLEMAN - this article will caused me grief. Some involved are friends. However I am not willing for your safety and those of law enforcement officers are not held in high regard and those public servants not held to make sure all bases are covered. I am willing to take the heat to make sure each of you are cared for ...

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