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Bloomfield PD to purchase five new Taser weapons
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
Bloomfield Town Marshal Ken Tharp says having Taser weapons available for use by officers is essential equipment in this day of rampant use of illegal drugs that produce unpredictable and dangerous behavior by suspects. "Unfortunately, they are tools that we need, you know with these new drugs we are dealing with. I can reason with a guy who is drunk. I can reason with a guy who is stoned on marijuana, but I can't reason with a guy that is seeing people crawl out of the walls," Tharp said. Tharp's comments were made Wednesday night to members of the Bloomfield Town Council prior to its approval of five new Tasers. Tharp explained the department's five current Tasers are outdated and need to be replaced. The company will no longer warranty those weapons, which are more than five years old. The town marshal said the Taser Company is offering an acquisition program with an initial cost of $4,161.90, including new holsters for five Tasers. He explained that cost is actually for four weapons and a fifth comes with the deal. With the five-year contact, each year after this year, the town will pay $740. "Basically, you are buying one Taser a year for five years after the fifth year, they ship you four brand new ones, plus the extra one, so every five years they are rotating the weapons out so you won't have outdated weapons," Tharp explained. "Basically, what you are doing is locking in this year's price for five years." Tharp said the Taser weapons are not used often, but they serve as a definite deterrent. He pointed out his department has had six actual shots with the current weapons. "They've been used to squelch situations quite often. You look down and see a red dot on your chest you will calm down. Nobody wants to get shot with them," Tharp told the councilmen. "I'd much rather pull a Taser out than a gun out." Tharp told the council the department's five current weapons are outdated and are going to have to replace them. With this program, they are all replaced again -- after five years. "I just don't want to get in a position where I have an officer out there (in the field) that needs it and it fails and I get an officer hurt. That, or it goes to the next level and shoots somebody," Tharp stressed. The council approved the purchase by a 3-0 vote. In other matters, the council also agreed to move forward with the purchase of computer software to connect the Bloomfield PD with the Spillman Dispatch center now operational at the Greene County Sheriff's Department. Last May, the council voted to allow the police department to purchase the software needed to begin working with the system. However, at the time details had not been worked out to connect with the system's server located at the Daviess County Sheriff's Department in Washington. In the meantime talks with the neighboring county didn't materialize and the Greene County Sheriff's Department purchased its own dispatch server that will connect with Jasonville police and Linton police departments along with GCSD. The cost of the software is $30,500 for the license to be used in three police vehicles and at the police department for the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The CAD system will allow the Bloomfield Police Department to gather information on suspects, as well as those they associate with in the area. It can sound an alert if police have dealt with the subject in the past and if they had encountered a weapon with the individual. Using the system, a central dispatcher would take initial information from the original call and would enter it onto an information card. That information would then be sent directly to the computers in the patrol vehicles. Tharp said training on the new system will be conducted in April and plans are to go live in late April or early May. In other matters, the council heard a March monthly police department report from Tharp that showed six custodial arrests and five long form arrests; 48 traffic summons; 15 case reports filed; and four incident reports filed. Fire Chief Lee Baker reported one fire run, a traffic assistance and 15 EMA runs for the month of March.
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Greene County Sheriff's Department Jail Log
(Police Reports ~ 03/13/14)
March 12 -- Gregory Lance Keene, 62, Jasonville, was arrested on a warrant issued on preliminary charges involving operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was being held without bond. Greene County Sheriff's Deputy Dennis Conaway was the arresting officer...
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Linton Police Department Activity Log
(Police Reports ~ 03/13/14)
The Linton Police Department's activity log for Tuesday, March 11 included three follow-up investigations, one request for information, three assists to the utility department after hours, one incident of vandalism, one structure fire, one missing or runaway juvenile, four medical runs, one complaint about an animal, one suspicious vehicle or person, one assist to another agency, one theft, two arrests -- wanted on warrants, one ordinance violation and three traffic stops...
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Hazel Irene Waggoner
(Obituary ~ 03/13/14)
Hazel Irene Waggoner, 96, of Bloomfield passed away Thursday March 13, 2014 at Lyons Health & Living Center. Born July 3, 1917 in Greene County, Indiana, the daughter of Lewis and Della (Bough) Waggoner. Hazel was a homemaker and loved being around people and caring for her family. She loved to quilt and make rugs. She was a member of the Bunkum Church in Odon and faithfully attended the Scotland United Methodist Church where she was a member of the Ladies Aid...
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Burl Nicholas "Pat" Bailey
(Obituary ~ 03/13/14)
Burl Nicholas "Pat" Bailey 79, of Bloomfield, passed away at 12:22 a.m. on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at IU Health Bloomington Hospital. Born December 8, 1934 in Clay County, he was the son of Burl G. and Lillian R. (Drobnok) Bailey. He retired from the Greene County Highway Department and also worked in a Stone Mill. He attended the Free Pentecostal Holiness Church in Little Cincinnati...
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Miners set to face Commodores...again
(High School Sports ~ 03/13/14)
They've met only one time before on the basketball court in the last 20 years and that meeting decided who advanced to the semistate last year. This time around the Linton-Stockton Miners (19-6) and Perry Central Commodores (18-5) will once again go after a regional title on the historic floor of the Huntingburg Memorial Gym, except this meeting will be the regional opener...
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Thursday morning fire destroys home in Taylor Township
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
A family is without a home after a fire Thursday morning. Taylor Township Fire Chief Randy Baker said the department was called to a fire in a trailer on Taylor Ridge Road around 10:30 a.m. Baker said the family was in the trailer when the fire started. He said a young boy woke up the rest of his family allowing the entire family to escape the fire...
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Pregnancy Choices banquet celebrates success
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
SWITZ CITY -- The Annual Pregnancy Choices banquet Tuesday night at the Greene County Extension Service Community Building was a time of laughter, joy, hope, and recognizing success. The banquet featured Mike G. Williams, a nationally known speaker, writer and comedian, who had the capacity crowd rolling with laughter for nearly 60 minutes. His story had a serious side as he explained about being an adopted child from the Gary/Chicago area...
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Bloomfield's "Fill the Pool" project takes a new twist
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
The Bloomfield "Fill the Pool" project took on a potential new dynamic Wednesday night. The committee charged with raising money for the pool renovation suggested to the town council that it might want to add an indoor multi-purpose facility that would include a basketball court and indoor running or walking track...
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Dogs, sidewalks and alleys were all on the Worthington Town Council's agenda
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
Problems with dogs running loose, people parking on sidewalks, and trash trucks tearing up alleys were all items on the Worthington Town Council's agenda for their regular monthly meeting this week. Regarding the ongoing problem with dogs running loose in the town, Worthington Town Marshal Randy Raney told the council, "We've got a bad, bad problem."...
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Jasonville Police Department Activity Report
(Police Reports ~ 03/13/14)
During the month of February, the Jasonville Police Department responded to 91 calls. The department issued four infraction tickets and four gun permits. Officers made 16 traffic stops and responded to four animal complaints. Other calls included: three welfare checks, three property damage accidents, two alarms, two domestic disputes...
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Worthington Police Department Activity Report
(Police Reports ~ 03/13/14)
At the March meeting of the Worthington Town Council, the Worthington Police Department reported the following activity during the preceding month: One incident involving property damage, one disorderly conduct, one reported threat, one theft, one residential entry, one battery and one case of criminal mischief. At the February meeting, the WPD reported four thefts and one incident of operating a vehicle while intoxicated during the previous month...
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Community Notes
(Community News ~ 03/13/14)
Saturday, March 15 The Lebanon Cemetery spring clean-up has begun and it is asked that graves be cleared off by March 31. Items may remain on the stone but decorations not removed from the grave itself will be disposed of. If you are decorating using a shepherd's hook we ask that you place it to the side of the stone for mowing purposes. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Any questions, call 812-798-7023...
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Worthington man accused of spitting on a jail officer
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
A third criminal case was filed Thursday against a man who was arrested on March 4, bonded out and was then arrested again on March 8. In the latest case, Gary Floyd Coffman, 25, Worthington, is facing a charge of battery by bodily waste on law enforcement personnel -- a class D felony...
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Worthington community discusses WRV referendum with superintendent
(Local News ~ 03/13/14)
Members of the Worthington community met with White River Valley Superintendent Bob Hacker to discuss their concerns on the district's proposed referendum. Hacker discussed the issues and heard community comments Thursday night in a meeting for discussion about the referendum. He answered questions about the options the district has and the impact a referendum will have on citizens...
Stories from Thursday, March 13, 2014
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