A bomb threat was called in to Curry High School through 911 today around 3PM. Our bomb threat protocols were initiated and after a quick response and investigation, we narrowed down where the call came from and who made it.
 
Investigators began to attempt to locate the suspect. We will immediately begin the process of filing charges with the DA’s office for making terroristic threats.
 
It has been determined that there was no actual presence of a bomb in the school, and we would like to thank the assistance of all law enforcement and first responders on scene to secure and ensure the safety of our children.

Today, once again, threats to our schools began circulating. After deploying most of our deputy resources to each school in the county for added security, we received information from ALEA that the same threats were circulating statewide and weren’t exclusive to Walker County. And while that may be true, we take every threat to our school, substantiated or not, extremely serious because that is what our students and teachers deserve. I’m a firm believer in “if you stay prepared you won’t have to waste time getting prepared” and that is how we approach our SRO program.
 
So, you will see an increased deputy presence at our schools today, even though these current threats aren’t believed to be legitimate. That presence will remain until we, and the board of education, feel it is time to return to normal operations. I understand this may cause panic or concern among parents. As a parent myself, I understand those feelings, but your children are safe and aren’t in and danger. I caution everyone to not buy into every crazy story you may see on social media. When things like this happen, they seem to take on a mind of their own in people’s imaginations, so keep your eyes out for confirmed and validated information.
 
I know these situations have seemed to increase recently, and that is as frustrating for my office and the board of education, as it is for parents and students. We have already made one arrest in relation to recent schools threats, and are currently investigating others with expected arrests coming soon in those situations as well. Tracking down cyber-crimes may take a little longer than we’d like, but it’s just a matter of time until the people responsible are tracked down.
 
Students and parents both need to understand that we take these threats seriously and we will charge anyone responsible for threats against our schools. Parents, if a student is made aware of a threat to a school, remind them to make the Sheriff’s Office or the board of education aware as soon as possible. Don’t make posts on social media or send pictures through Snapchat. Not only does that not help us address those threats quickly, but it may implicate your child in a crime.

This past week has been very active out in the county. Our patrol deputies answered a total of 436 calls, up from 429 in the week prior. That is an average of 32 calls per shift, with each deputy answering an average of 8 calls per shift. Those calls range from simple report calls to felony arrests, and much more.
 
Deputies also regularly enforce traffic code, via traffic stops. These stops are deputy initiated after observing a moving, equipment, or other violation by a vehicle. Many of these stops end with a warning, whether written or verbal.  In select stops, the driver is issued a citation, and even more rarely is a person arrested from one of these stops. This past week, 10% of all traffic stops ended with an arrest, or 1 out of every 10 stops. This week, due to excessive rainfall, drivers slowed down, and that resulted in a 33% decline in stops this week. This is a great sign, showing that fewer violations were committed, and drivers were more cautious due to hazardous road conditions.
 
Lastly, we want to thank the community for your support. We could not do what we do without the support of our citizens. We care about fostering positive community relationships, and seek to actively involve our citizens at every opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, and we look forward to what the future holds.

Recently, Sheriff Smith and Captain Ralph Williams were on regular patrol, when they received a notification from the license plate reader system, alerting them of a stolen vehicle. These plate readers read plates as they pass the camera systems, and can alert law enforcement of warrants, stolen vehicles, missing persons, and much more.
 
Following the notification, Sheriff Smith and Captain Williams responded to the area where the truck was last seen, and it was located. The vehicle, a rented box truck, was reported stolen out of Delaware. The rental has been reported as stolen since back in July of 2024, and the truck had been roaming the country since then. The last GPS transmitter ping on the vehicle placed it in North Carolina around the middle of July.
 
Without these plate readers, this truck may have continued to roam around the US, and these trucks are often used in criminal enterprises, specifically drug and human trafficking. Thankfully, this vehicle can no longer be used for potentially nefarious purposes, and will be returned to the owners soon, based on the swift response and actions taken by Sheriff Smith and Captain Williams.

Since 2019, the WCSO has fully renovated and refreshed almost every inch of the jail. New locks, cameras, and control systems were installed, and then work began on the aging facility.
 
Almost $1 million in funding was made available for the jail improvements in 2019. The locks were broken, and inmates were able to move freely inside the jail. Also, the outdated camera system in place was failing. The locks were repaired and old cameras were replaced with nearly 100 state-of-the-art cameras, marking one of the single largest improvement projects at the WCSO jail.
 
As recently as this year, the jail received $150,000 in grant funding to replace and upgrade the intercom system within the jail. These intercoms allow for quick communication between the dorms, and the central control operators. Also this year, opioid settlement monies were disbursed, and with it, our county was able to purchase revolutionary new technology to monitor inmate health. These monitors use RF and other advanced sensors to remotely detect and log inmate vital signs, such as respiration rate and heart rate.
 
The most important jail expansion didn’t involve a single paintbrush, however. We were able to partner with the Fellowship House, and we are one of the first jails in the nation to offer level one outpatient drug treatment. We can administer drug treatment options via our medical staff, and get people on their first steps to recovery, at no cost to the inmate.

These renovations are a part of a yearly program to freshen up each dorm, and is led by a team of trustees. This year, we've started off strong, and have completed two dorms, and look to finish by the end of the year.
 
We’re extremely proud of the work done to our facility, but even more so are we proud of those that work inside our jail, day in and day out. We especially commend the supervisors that have stuck in there over the years, and made our facility better, and became a positive influence on inmates’ lives. Your work does not go unnoticed. You are appreciated, and you choose to do a job that few can handle, and you handle it with fairness and poise. From the WCSO to our COs, thank you.

We were ecstatic to host Game Warden Chad Nalls at our last session of the Nauvoo Neighborhood Watch. This is a great way to show positive inter-agency cooperation, and for the public to engage and ask questions of their local officials. Our neighborhood watch affords our residents this opportunity, and many others.
 
More than 20 folks got to have their burning questions about Alabama Wild Game and Fish Laws answered, and got to voice their concerns or comments about how the WCSO and Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries can continue to work together for the betterment of our county.
 
Now, we know not everyone is a fan of green pants coming at them through the woods, but as long as you take advantage of opportunities to learn and educate yourself, you will learn to appreciate the conservation efforts of Game Warden Nalls, and his colleagues at the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Without them, we could risk losing and endangering local game and fish populations with over hunting.
 
If you’d like to take part in these watch meetings, you can sign up at walkercountysheriff.com!

People are naturally curious. We want to know more, understand more, and be a part of more. What we understand of the world around us is largely based on basic facts and observations. We share basic truths that shape our own worlds. For example, the grass is green, the sky is blue, and Sheriff likes to take selfies. These are all basic truths that intertwines our shared human existence.
 
Without a sense of commonality and what knowledge we share, we become isolated and disconnected. This felling of disconnectedness is exactly what spurred our news format. We enjoy our local news partners, like print and digital media outlets. However, they have to cover our ever-changing world. In a world of go, they say here’s what you need to know.  They can only put so much news in thirty minute segments, or even in an article. That poses an issue.
 
We see, daily, the worst that our world has to offer, in terms of news. Bad news sells more ad space. That is simple fact. In a world of bad news, we carved a space out of our website for some good news, and important local information. We serve you news, right from the source, and without ads and a paywall. You get the full story, every time.
 
We’re thankful to provide our citizens with the best possible information, as timely as possible. Stick around for more information, as we are just getting started!

My office has been made aware of a social media threat towards Oakman Schools. Our team is currently investigating the threats and treating the threat seriously, as we do with all threats brought to our attention. We will be increasing security at the schools and will call in reserve deputies as well to ensure there is adequate presence to address any issue.

It's unfortunate that we live in a world where we have to deal with these types of issues. We are not immune; however, I'm thankful for the board of education who helps us have deputies in our schools and the tools they provide to keep our children and grandchildren safe. With the most recent school shooting, it serves as a reminder that having deputies on school campuses is very important in today's world.