Va. Community Begins Police 24-Hour Police Patrol

Nov. 11--Saltville Police Department will institute 24-hour patrols by officers Dec. 1 following a vote by the town's council Wednesday.

Council member Vince Maiden, who recommended the move away from the current on-call schedule, said the 24-hour patrols would create some overtime expense that would be reduced by the hiring of two new officers Chief Rob Hall expects by the end of December.

The move comes as the council and police department battle what they say is a community perception that the town has no police coverage at various times.

"What people need to know is we have 24-hour coverage," said council member Danny Maiden.

Hall said police response is available from Smyth and Washington counties' sheriff's departments and Chilhowie Police Departments in addition to his officers. Hall said he has also responded when it appeared others would be delayed.

A person in the audience told the council people listening to scanner traffic do not hear Saltville officers sign on and off duty with dispatchers, leading to the appearance than no officers are working. Hall said his officers refrain from marking shift starts and ends with dispatchers via radio.

According to Hall, SPD is alerting area residents to two groups of "unauthorized peddlers coming to their doors."

Hall said in a release Wednesday one group sells meats door to door, while the main group of young people are dropped off in an area by a van that later picks them up.

While the young people claim to sell magazines to earn trips and scholarships, they are from out of state and running "a commercial enterprise, plain and simple," Hall said. "These are not local kids raising money for their school or church. They stay as a group in hotels and work various areas of the county in the course of a few days. Then they move on to another part of the country and do the same thing for weeks at a time."

According to Hall, warnings to the groups that Saltville requires a license issued by the town have been ineffective.

"I'd ask any citizen who finds one of these individuals at their door to immediately contact law enforcement. We will respond, and will deal with them accordingly."

Copyright 2011 - Smyth County News & Messenger, Marion, Va.