Sheriff rips mayors on radio vote

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones said he opposes a move by the city and county mayors that would force officials to vote on a multimillion dollar emergency broadcasting system contract, and added that the two would be better informed if they attended the E-911 Board meetings.

In a letter to the E-911 Board’s attorney, the sheriff called out Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, essentially saying that the safety of local first responders and residents – not politics – is his top priority.

“Officials who never attended in the past are now going to show up at a special called (E-911) Board meeting to force a vote on a radio system that I know has had problems in the past and will ultimately cost the taxpayers $15 to $20 million dollars,” Jones wrote in a letter to Donald Howell that he also posted to the Sheriff’s Office website.

He added: “If these officials and the media had been at the prior meetings, they would be aware of the (dissension) among the group with regard to the inadequacies of the system.”

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Read the sheriff's entire letter RIGHT HERE.