ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — On July 11, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office announced that it was getting a $1.8 million state grant. They said it would be used to improve policing in the area, buying new equipment for patrol and SWT teams.
They also said it would be used for an "intelligence-led policing center," helping law enforcement across the area take an intelligence-first approach.
"Everything now we're seeing is connected to the digital market. We have to change with the times," said Sheriff Russell Barker with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. "The days of finding your drugs, and they had a lot of proceeds from drug dealing, we're not seeing those anymore. Because now, they're paying each other on CashApp and PayPal."
The state grant is going to help six agencies in Anderson County — ACSO, the Clinton Police Department, the Norris Police Department, the Rocky Top Police Department, the Oak Ridge Police Department and the Oliver Springs Police Department. It is meant to allow rural agencies to update their equipment in order to investigate crimes and find criminals.
"They aren't available in every community in Tennessee. Some of these big city resources and tools are unusual in rural and suburban areas," said Dave Clark, District Attorney General for the 7th Judicial District of Tennessee.
As part of the grant, the Crime Task Force's truck is also going to get an update. It previously sat unused for around four years, preventing law enforcement from efficiently investigating crimes.
"It can be as simple as providing lighting to a crime scene after dark, providing shelter for a crime scene where rain is about to fall, and we're trying to protect blood evidence in the street or in the yard," said Clark.
Every patrol car in the cities and counties will also be equipped with crime analysis software allowing officers and deputies to share information across zones.
"So, the same criminal that's committing a crime in Clinton may also be committing a crime at Oak Ridge, or Oliver Springs, the same one that's in Rocky Top," said Clark.
The changes in Anderson County law enforcement agencies will be fully funded by the state, without any county or city money being used.