Palmer to help town, still staying in sheriff’s office

    Andrews – The Board of Aldermen are expected to appoint Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer as the town’s administrative police chief.
    “We’ve asked the sheriff to help us out and put the officers we have left through a field training that should last 12 weeks,” Mayor James Reid said.
    Former chief Michael Hobgood resigned on July 6, citing a culture of micromanagement within the town administration. Palmer met with Andrews officials last week and presented several options to fill the void left by Hobgood. Town aldermen were expected to
appoint Palmer to lead the department at the July 14 meeting, as of the Cherokee Scout’s press time Tuesday morning.
    “There will be no compensation. I’m just trying to help them get on their feet,” Palmer told the Scout.
    Palmer’s immediate goal will be to further train the four officers on staff and develop policies, procedures and protocols that may not be in place. As a long-term goal, he plans to tackle the drug problem in Andrews.
    “We need to make a very strong law enforcement presence in Andrews,” Palmer said. “I know the police department has done the best they could with what they have, but they have not had the resources and abilities to make a strong police presence. As a sheriff’s office, we need to work with the police department and spend time in Andrews to dominate the criminal element.”
    Regardless of how long he remains administrative police chief, Palmer said his goal would be to spend the next two years focused on eradicating drugs in Andrews.
    “My concern is not going to be re-election or campaigning. For the next two years, my concern is going to be on fixing Andrews,” he said. “Of course, we can’t neglect the rest of the county, but the fact is that crime and drugs is rampant in Andrews, and it needs special attention. So for the next two years, that’s what we’re going to focus on as a sheriff’s office.”
    Palmer said he also plans to speak with town residents about creating neighborhood watch groups and other community programs to stem crime in town.
    “We need eyes and ears so we know what’s going on 24/7 and can address issues as they happen, not two days after,” he said.
    When asked to comment on the consistent turnover within the Andrews Police Department, Palmer said the issue is multifaceted.
    “I think it stems from a lot of different things – not having strong leadership, officers not getting training and the proper experience, a board and mayor who don’t have law enforcement experience getting involved in the department – there’s a lot of things that need to be addressed,” he said.
    “There are people coming in there that may be good people and have good ideas, and may have good leadership skills, but if the mayor and the board don’t allow them to be leaders, then those people won’t have the ability to do it. I think they’ve had five different chiefs since 2014, so that tells you there’s a bigger problem there than just a chief who doesn’t know what he’s doing.”