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Bomb threat empties courthouses
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–Everyone was well into the day’s business when a call came in
around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to evacuate the Kaufman County Courthouse.
“A woman in the Terrell area overheard two young people saying they were
going to blow up the courthouse,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Deller
said.
The Sheriff’s Department made a thorough sweep of the courthouse and its
annex but found nothing.
The call went out around 10 a.m. for the county subcourthouses,
including Kemp, to evacuate, Deller said.
“Deputy Constable Vanessa Clemmo did a walk-through and found nothing,”
Deller explained.
“Judge (Johnny) Adams was holding court and everyone had to go outside
and stand around in the heat.
“Finally, about 11 a.m. Adams cancelled court and said it would be
rescheduled,” he said.
“It was an inconvenience but in this day and age, you have to take
things like this seriously,” Deller said.
The evacuation order was lifted about 1 p.m., he added.
Police policy adopted
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–The Gun Barrel City Council adopted an eight-month
effort to put together standard operating procedures for the police
department.
The book-like document covers all subjects pertinent to police work,
from conducting traffic stops to dealing with the media.
City manager Gerry Boren credited Sgt. Damon Boswell with the
completion, and turned over all questions and comments to him.
Most of the policies come straight from the Texas Municipal League (TML),
Boswell said.
“It will take about six months to train everyone in its procedures,” he
added.
Councilman Melvyn Hayes complemented the policy manual’s format. “It was
very easy to follow and to find whatever you needed very quickly,” he
said.
Councilman Todd Hogan added his support, noting the new policy manual
added credibility and accountability to the department.
Boswell mentioned some of the changes that were incorporated as a result
of a review by council members Kathy Cochran and Charles Townsend.
Boren later said he would see if the document couldn’t be added to the
city’s website as a link, for public review of the department’s
policies.
The council also agreed to spend $4,339.50 from the contingency fund to
pay for a base station for the Police Department’s dispatchers.
Boren related he had toured the dispatch center with Hogan, and had
found the dispatcher working on two car radios for communications. Eaton
confirmed that upgrades were called for.
The department recommended Huffman Communications and Engineering out of
Corsicana to do the work and provide Motorola instrumentation to match
the rest of the car radios being used.
Mayor Paul Eaton supported the expenditure. The measure passed
unanimously.
The council also adopted a resolution to participate in TexPool.
Though the council approved a resolution some months ago, that
resolution was flawed and had to be redone according to TexPool’s
specifications, Boren explained.
The council unanimously agreed.
In other business, council members:
• approved the consent agenda
• approved the minutes of special meetings held July 8 and July 14, and
the regular meeting held July 8.
Lower away!
Monitor Photo/Kerry Yancey
Workers lower a section of concrete storm sewer pipe
into a freshly dug trench Thursday as drainage improvements
continued along Mabank's Third Street (State Highway 198)
as part of a two-year-long project to widen the street to five
lanes through downtown. |