Tallulah Falls approves public safety equipment purchases

TALLULAH FALLS, Ga. — Tallulah Falls leaders approved a series of police and fire equipment purchases Thursday, using money from the town’s restricted Public Safety Fund to make police vehicles more visible, preserve traffic enforcement capabilities and enhance emergency response.

The purchases represent some of the first expenditures from the Public Safety Fund, which has grown through revenue generated by the town’s school zone speed camera program. During recent budget discussions, town officials said the fund would be used for law enforcement equipment, emergency services and other public safety improvements.

All purchases were approved unanimously.

Making police vehicles more visible

The most extensive discussion centered on proposed upgrades to the Tallulah Falls Police Department’s patrol vehicles.

Mayor Mike Early presented plans to spend approximately $2,600 for new vehicle graphics and about $6,650 for externally mounted emergency light bars, saying the goal is to make the department’s patrol vehicles easier to identify.

“As you know, we’ve discussed that we want our police vehicles to be more recognizable as being police vehicles,” Early said.

The discussion, however, extended beyond the equipment itself into the town’s philosophy toward traffic enforcement.

“The big issue is whether we’re here to be stealthy and try to catch people — a gotcha mindset — or are we here to slow people down, make them know we have a law enforcement presence in this town, and maybe get traffic to slow down?” Early said.

He said more visible patrol vehicles would reassure residents and visitors that officers are easily identifiable while discouraging speeding through town.

“We’ve got so many people in this town that are upset that people don’t know if that black SUV is one they can go to,” Early said.

Early said clearly marked patrol vehicles are also important for motorists who may question whether an unmarked vehicle attempting a traffic stop is operated by a legitimate law enforcement officer.

“Think about young women driving down a road,” he said. “They’re getting blue lights flashing at them from a vehicle that’s not clearly marked, that doesn’t have a light bar on it, and you don’t know if that’s actually a real police officer or some guy, some creep that has decked his vehicle out.”

He added, “I want us to be a place that is open, that is well known. Our police vehicles are highly obvious that they are police and law enforcement. They are a safe place for someone to go — a kid who’s lost, or whatever. They need to be a place where someone feels safe they can go to.”

Debate over light bars

Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Franklin questioned whether the new roof-mounted light bars were necessary since the department’s vehicles already have emergency lighting.

“I’m just concerned from a monetary standpoint,” Franklin said, while also asking why Georgia State Patrol vehicles appeared to use different lighting configurations.

Early said municipal police departments are subject to equipment requirements for radar enforcement and argued the town should not risk its ability to use radar and lidar by failing to comply.

“The state statute is very clear that they must be mounted externally on the roof,” Early said. “That has not changed.”

He said that while motorists could not have traffic citations dismissed over the issue, noncompliance could jeopardize the department’s traffic enforcement authority.

“If you push hard enough, they could lose their ability to use radar and lidar,” Early said. “We risk losing our ability to run radar and lidar on the highway or anywhere else in town if we’re not compliant.”

Police Chief Tonya Elrod said she researched the issue before requesting the upgrades because she had concerns about roof-mounted light bars creating leaks or being damaged in automatic car washes. She also pointed to language in state law stating that an otherwise lawful arrest is not invalidated by failing to comply with the equipment requirements.

Early responded that his concern was protecting the department’s ability to continue using radar and lidar for traffic enforcement.

By the end of the discussion, Franklin said he agreed with the objective of making the town’s patrol vehicles easier to recognize.

“The number one thing that I’m totally for is that you recognize this police car business clearly,” Franklin said. “I think of how the state patrol cars look as a good look.”

Fire department equipment

The council also approved the purchase of a battery-powered positive pressure ventilation (PPV) fan for the Tallulah Falls Fire Department.

Early said the equipment will replace the department’s gasoline-powered ventilation fan, which is used to clear smoke from structures during firefighting operations.

He said the battery-powered model eliminates the concern of introducing gasoline exhaust into buildings while firefighters are working.
The fan also will serve a second purpose during emergency rescues in Tallulah Gorge.

“It also does what we call a rehab setting,” Early said. “When we’re on a gorge rescue and we’ve got 100-degree weather, this fan can be used to help keep rescuers cooler.”

Early acknowledged the equipment’s cost but said the department plans to purchase only one fan.

“They’re super expensive,” he said. “I’m only going to get one.”

In addition to the police and fire equipment purchases, the council unanimously approved the remaining items on Thursday’s agenda.