Febuary 23, 2018
Lawrence County schools not alone in safety problems
USING UNTRAINED CONSTABLES IS AT ISSUE
In a dramatic move by the Shelby County Fiscal Court, magistrates lent unanimous approval to require constables to take out a bond of $1 million each before taking office.
Shelby County Judge-Executive Dan Ison said he suggested the increase, from a $10,000 to a $1 million bond because he believes that anytime a person without police training is allow to carry a gun, there is a great potential for trouble.
“That [higher bond] is to protect the county, because as a constable, you have the right to carry arms without any police training, and I am concerned it they got involved in any type of legal situation that we wouldn’t have adequate protection for the county,” he said.
“They’re not like Barney Fife with just one bullet in his pocket – they have their bullets in their guns,” he said. “The sheriff and his people are highly trained and constables have no training whatsoever.”
This means if elected, a constable would be required to pay from 1 to 10 percent of the bond, which, at $1 million, would range between $10,000 and $100,000 per year, an increase from $100.
Insurance officials said the cost varies because the cost of the bond depends somewhat on the constable’s credit rating.
How did Ison come up with his million-dollar figure?
“The typical homeowner today is looking at having a million dollar umbrella policy to supplement their insurance; what I’m looking at is a protective action by the magistrates,” he said.
Magistrates at Tuesday’s meeting of the Shelby County Fiscal Court didn’t comment much on the issue, although Tony Carriss observed that no constables were present at the meeting to give their input on the matter.
By Lisa King
The Sentinel-News
