Law Enforcement

On Saturday, Sept. 13, law enforcement officers representing the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club and supporters will arrive at Shopville/Stab Fire Department to honor three fallen officers who ended their watch in the Commonwealth in 2007 and the 403 fallen officers in the Commonwealth that gave their all to law enforcement. The sixth annual Memorial Foundation Ride is sponsored by Blue Knights KY XI, located in Stanford. The proceeds from the ride are given to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.

Another familiar name in local law enforcement has entered the race for Boyle County sheriff. Junction City Police and Fire Chief Jimmy Gipson filed paperwork Monday, joining Deputy Marty Elliott in the race for the seat vacated by outgoing Sheriff LeeRoy Hardin. Gipson, who has been chief in Junction City for the past 10 years, said he had been weighing the decision to run for quite a while. "Some people had asked me if I was interested, and I was kind of waiting around to see what Sheriff Hardin decided to do," Gipson said.

HARRODSBURG - When looking for marks, sheriff's offices and police departments would not seem like the smartest choices for a con man. Yet calendar salesman Richard L. Clements Jr. allegedly has targeted a handful of law enforcement agencies around the state and now he's on the run. Clements, 45, of 111 Magnolia Way, Apt. A, Nicholasville, was indicted last week by a Mercer County grand jury for theft more than $500.  According to...

Dear Editor: On Thursday afternoon, I transported a family member to a medical office on Daniel Drive. A Boyle County sheriff's cruiser, No. 7, was parked there. On the back of the cruiser was a small "Jesus fish" symbol, to the left of the license plate. I am deeply disturbed by this, not because of my personal faith, but because taxpayer dollars invested for this vehicle should not reflect a dual purpose. This vehicle is an instrument of law enforcement and should not be used as a "billboard" for an individual's personal faith.

Dear Editor, To kill a snake you eliminate the head. To eliminate the head of the illegal immigration parading across our borders you simply enforce the law. (It is against the federal law to hire an illegal immigrant). If law enforcement puts the person in jail who hires the illegal immigrant, we think of them as good honest Americans, but if the law enforcement officers turns their heads, it is lying to the people who pay their salaries, their country and their God, because they took an oath to uphold the law. All illegal immigrants are breaking the law and defying our system of government when they first set foot on American soil.

FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) recently honored 195 law enforcement officers from 177 agencies across the commonwealth for their efforts to target impaired drivers. Deputy Mark S. Collier made 48 impaired driving arrests — the highest number for a Clark County deputy — during the award period from Oct. 1 2008 through Sept. 30, 2009. “Our law enforcement is making a difference, as our alcohol-related fatalities continue to decrease in Kentucky,” said KOHS Division of Highway Safety Programs Assistant Director Billie Johnson.

CRAB ORCHARD - There's a new push in Kentucky to do away with the elected position of constable or remove its law enforcement capabilities, but Lincoln County law enforcement officials say such a move would have a negative impact on public safety. In a report released through the Department of Criminal Justice Training in October, a working group of law enforcement officials determined the position of constable is “outdated as an arm of law enforcement.” The report was commissioned by Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown and examined opinions and statistics about constables in Kentucky.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office officially welcomed its newest member last week after Deputy Chad S. Smith graduated from law enforcement basic training. Smith, along with officers from 14 other agencies across the state, graduated on Friday from the Department of Criminal Justice Training's Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy in Richmond. The 17-member class underwent 16 weeks of training, which consisted of more than 660 hours of recruit-level officer academy instruction.

On Oct. 11 at 11 a.m., the Blue Knights XI, headquartered in Stanford, will unveil a commemorative bench in honor of fallen law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Lincoln County. The Blue Knights is an organization comprised of law enforcement officers from every aspect of the job and from many areas of the world. It's an organization that started in Bangor, Maine in 1974 when a few friends, all connected to law enforcement, started riding motorcycles together.

Dear Editor, On May 16, my dad is running for Boyle County constable, 3rd District. He was in the 6th District the last four years. He is a dedicated Dad, spent alot of time working with Junction police, Boyle County sheriff deputies, Perryville police. He really loves working in law enforcement. Together we can see another productive four years in the constable office. Vote Walter "Wally" Bottoms on May 16. Nathan Bottoms Danville