The race for Anderson County Sheriff is heating up, and one person heated is outgoing Sheriff Vern Valentine. In a long post on social media Valentine responded to claims made by candidate for sheriff, Garnett City Commissioner and Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Director Mark Locke. Locke, for one, stated that there was a lack of response on 9-1-1 hangups, where the dispatcher tell the officer that someone called and said everything was ok and the officer would simply take the unknown person’s word and no longer respond to the call. Valentine says this if false, adding that neither he nor his 9-1-1 center administrator can recall a time that a 9-1-1 hang-up was not addressed. He says the department responds whether or not dispatchers are told by the caller the call was a misdial. Locke also mentioned that deputies spend a lot of time sitting in the office waiting for calls, or hiding on a back county road. Valentine says demands on officers time is much different than when Locke was in law enforcement 20 years ago. Officers are forced to spend time in the office completing reports, setting up interviews, and doing investigations within their budgeted payroll hours.
