Cheatham County’s law enforcement officers are working to bring down an increase in crime and overdoses that has occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to Sheriff Mike Breedlove during the May 18 County Commission meeting, crime in the county has increased with several repeat arrests and overdoses over the past few months. One of the major issues facing the county sheriff’s office is that Metro Nashville government has been slow to open back up.
“We’re making some good cases on drug dealers, but we are waiting on Metro to get back up fully operational” to build on those investigations,” Breedlove said.
The rise in arrests led to utilization of video conferences for court hearings, a measure that some say might need to become a permanent solution. District 6 Commissioner Randy Liles asked during the May 18 meeting whether such a change needed to stay in place permanently. As only ten people may be in the courtroom due to CDC guidelines, the sheriff said he would not be surprised to see several dozens of people, maybe even more, standing on the courthouse lawn waiting to have their day in court in the coming days.
Breedlove said he was working with judges about the possibility of web teleconferencing meetings with attorneys, when asked about the matter by Commission Chairman Donnie Jordan.
