No time off for law agencies
The June 29 edition of the Cherokee Scout included a letter to the editor from a fellow named Klaus Fritz, who rode his motorcycle through Murphy from his home in Texas a couple months ago. Unfortunately, Fritz was the victim of a break-in at Sunset Motel near downtown on May 30.
Equally as frustrating as the robbery to Fritz was that Murphy police took 45 minutes to respond to his call. Making it even moreso was the perceived lack of response to his follow-up phone calls.
Fritz told the Scout last week that the motel owners were “the sweetest people,” helping him every step of the way and apologizing, even though they did nothing wrong. He loves the area but, needless to say, this experience has rubbed him the wrong way.
He’s not alone. In the last few months, the Scout has spoken with two local residents who say they have called the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office or Murphy Police Department about potential crimes being committed, only for their concerns to be ignored. One homeowner said operations at a “drug den” in the county stopped the day after a sheriff’s vehicle drove by, but illegal activities quickly started up again when deputies didn’t return to the house.
This is a transitional time for county law enforcement agencies. Sheriff Derrick Palmer has been out with an injury, and former chief deputy Joe Wood resigned shortly after losing the primary for sheriff in May. With no opposition in the Nov. 8 general election, Murphy assistant police chief Dustin Smith is preparing to take over as sheriff in December, with Murphy Police Chief Justin Jacobs agreeing to move over to the county as his chief deputy. That means Murphy will soon have only its third police chief since the 1990s.
Despite the upcoming moves and challenges involved, local residents and visitors alike deserve to have law enforcement agencies that really listen, and respond, to their concerns. Asking a caller, “What do you expect us to do about it?” is just not an appropriate way to talk with the people who pay your salary.
Consider the consequences
The ongoing debate concerning crypto mining in Cherokee County continues to show the inherent dangers of an “anything goes” land use policy, which allows whatever the owner wants to be built under the guise of private property rights, while not even considering the potential consequences to their neighbors.
For years, companies were allowed to discharge all kinds of pollutants into waterways without fear of violating the law. When the damages became clear, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control of Act of 1948, which was amended in 1972 and became known as the Clean Water Act. Yet, those needed protections were likely too little, too late; longtime local residents can share how much cleaner the Hiwassee and Valley rivers used to be compared with today.
The owners of crypto mines in the county didn’t need to grease anybody’s palms to open shop in Cherokee County; there was nothing to stop them – no business permitting process, no comprehensive land use plan, no limited zoning – nothing. They just brought in a fortress of metal shipping-like containers and proceeded to blight the local landscape.
Months later, we’re clearly seeing the negative results; noise that’s damaging residents’ quality of life and property values, higher electricity costs and “foam” challenges at the landfill. However, unless county voters quit giving in to fearmongering over words like zoning – which only have as much power as we the people give it – nothing will change.