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Ed Locke Police Chief

Notes from the Chief

Always use your seat belts and make sure that small children are in an approved car seat. Obey the posted speed limit signs. Come to a full stop at all stop signs. On divided roadways such as Highway 30, drive in the right lane, except when turning, passing or overtaking another vehicle.

For the intersection of Highway 30 and Upper Byrnes Mill as well as the intersection of Highway 30 and Lower Byrnes Mill, keep to the right when in the middle of the intersection - Keep to the right!

The center turn lane of Route W from Hunter Lane to Highway 30 is for left turns onto Highway 30 only! It is illegal to turn left into McDonald's from that turn lane.

BYRNES MILL: Police chief responds to criticisms
Ed Locke: 'I stand 100 percent behind my officers'

By Kevin Carbery
Friday, July 20, 2007 11:41 AM CDT

The public has only heard part of the story about the Byrnes Mill Police Department, according Police Chief Ed Locke.
XXXX Locke and his officers have been the target of a great deal of criticism of late, with much of it generated through a June 28 town hall meeting called by state Rep. Michael Frame, D-Eureka. Members of the public were invited to attend the meeting to voice their views, pro and con, about the department. Frame said he initiated the meeting in response to numerous complaints made to his office about the Byrnes Mill officers, particularly their behavior during traffic stops.
XXXX Frame said he did not invite Locke and his officers to the meeting so as not to inhibit people from speaking freely. However, Locke said that led to people giving incident accounts that either left out information or were misleading in other ways.
XXXX "First, I stand 100-percent behind my officers and staff," said Locke, 50, who has been the Byrnes Mill police chief for six years and has been with the Byrnes Mill Police Department since 1997. Locke said he welcomes a move by the Byrnes Mill Board of Aldermen at a July 18 meeting to purchase cameras for police cars to monitor what goes on during traffic stops. (See related story.)
XXXX "I've been asking for cameras for six years," he said. "It's just been a cost factor.
XXXX "I think the cameras are going to show the professionalism of the officers and the lack of respect and common courtesy given by the citizens."
XXXX Individuals' views on how the Byrnes Mill officers treat them often are affected by their emotions over receiving tickets, the chief said.
XXXX "Sometimes, the word 'rude' has to do with people's perspectives," Locke said. "I stand up and defend my officers. Innocent until proven guilty applies to my officers, also.
XXXX "If you argue with an officer out in the street, you're never going to win that argument out in the street. That's why there are other things in place like complaint forms or giving your complaint to the judge."
XXXX Locke said he oversees a police force that is professional and effective. "I serve the community of Byrnes Mill," he said. "We maintain a low crime rate in what we feel is the safest community. By safest community, I mean that when you pull onto the highway (Route 30), people are doing 60, which is the limit, not 80 or 90.
XXXX "It's a well-known fact that when you enter Byrnes Mill, everybody slows down to obey the law, which is all we ask."
XXXX The police work along with the residents of Byrnes Mill to do what is best for the community, Locke said.
XXXX "Our citizens all pull together when there's a problem," he said. "During the power outages last year, we were able to get seven or eight officers who live out of town to come help. These are the officers of Byrnes Mill.
XXXX "We received no outside help from Jefferson County during those power outages. It was a hectic situation, but there was no crime reported in Byrnes Mill."
XXXX Locke said that people--through the Frame meeting, Internet blogs and other avenues--have accused Byrnes Mill of raising large amounts of cash by ticketing motorists. This is simply not true, he said.
XXXX "We write, probably, around 3,000 tickets a year," he said. "Out of those, we make about 500 arrests. These arrests are for drugs and alcohol, outstanding warrants, driving while suspended.
XXXX "The popular belief that the police department is generating the majority of the money to support the city is so off in actual figures. But, the money generated by court revenue does not pay for the police department's budget."
XXXX Locke said his department is doing its job to maintain order in Byrnes Mill.
XXXX "This is the lowest accident rate area on Highway 30," he said. "We've had one accident fatality since 1997. You compare that to any other place along 30. There's a reason for that--the strong police presence. "All of our major calls continue to drop each year, even though our city continues to grow. I feel it's because of the strong police presence."
XXXX In addition to maintaining order, Locke said his officers provide services not necessarily offered by other law enforcement agencies. An example is when people inform the department they are going on vacation, the Byrnes Mill officers do extensive home checks while they are away, the chief said. "They will get out of their cars and check doors, not just drive by," he said.
XXXX He added that parents sometimes take their troubled youngsters to the Byrnes Mill police for some serious counseling. "Parents will bring kids up here that are on the borderline," he said. "We'll talk to them.
XXXX "The parents do this only because they trust us. They wouldn't do it if they didn't have trust in the police department."