HHCC, law enforcement praise area residents

By Bryce Kelly, Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant Police Chief Ron Archer is thanking residents for their continued support of local law enforcement, and most recently, their help with a headlining criminal incident at a Mt. Pleasant fast food restaurant.

During a Tuesday afternoon Healthy Henry County Communities (HHCC) meeting, Archer relayed the Mt. Pleasant Police Department?s appreciation of locals, who he says, play an integral part in the department?s ability to keep the peace and enforce law.

?We can?t do our job without the public?s help,? said Archer. ?And the public deserve to be recognized for the things they do to help us do our job in protecting all people of Mt. Pleasant and surrounding areas.?

During his report, Archer mentioned a recent incident at the Mt. Pleasant McDonald?s in which shots were fired in the parking lot of the restaurant during the 2 p.m. hour. Mt. Pleasant Police took point in investigating that particular incident.

?The McDonald?s incident is a good example of everyday, local people being willing to work with us and help us do our job,? said Archer. ?We had people that offered to stay on the scene after getting their food so they could tell police what they saw regarding the incident. Consequently, from their help, we were able to figure out who was involved, and before the night was over, we had five people in jail.?

Furthermore, Archer said while police can often be at the center of much controversy in today?s world, he says the local police force is committed to treating people fairly and with respect.

?Last year, we stopped 2,388 people for traffic violations,? Archer said. ?Of those 2,388, we only wrote 722 tickets. To us, the idea of a traffic stop is to encourage people to obey the law, and to work with them when we can before we just slap a ticket on them.?

Archer ended his report asking for the public?s continued support of local law enforcement and encouraged all residents of Henry County to continue to work with officers to maintain peace in the community.

Apart from Archer?s presentation, the HHCC board also reaffirmed their hope that HHCC and SEIBUS can continue to work together to provide affordable medical transportation to Henry County residents.

In regard to the topic, HHCC officials will soon be discussing a renewal of an agreement with SEIBUS for medical transportation services in Henry County. Through grant money obtained by HHCC, SEIBUS is able to provide free, non-emergent transportation for local residents to and from area medical providers.

The contract HHCC has with SEIBUS for these services ends June 30. Funding for the transportation program would have to be obtained ? most likely through a grant ? for the program to continue to operate as it currently does.

?Our goal with this program is to increase awareness of SEIBUS and to increase ridership from individuals who would benefit from having public transportation to and from medical appointments,? said HHCC coordinator, Kelly Carr. ?SEIBUS is averaging about 300 rides per quarter for medical transportation, which is an increase for them. We feel that not only does this program benefit residents, it also benefits SEIBUS in getting more awareness of all the services they provide.?

The board agreed that if the funding for the transportation program and an agreeable contract between SEIBUS and HHCC could be reached to extend the program, the benefits to the local community would be great.

More information regarding the current transportation services provided in Henry County through SEIBUS can be obtained at www.healthyhenrycounty.org/resources, or by calling 1-866-753-5107.

The next HHCC board meeting will be held on April 4, 2017, at 1 p.m., in the Henry County Health Center?s Health Education Center.