Three agencies divide Tweetsie Trail patrol
BECKY CAMPBELL, Johnson City Press, August 9, 2015
Like any recreational park, law enforcement officers routinely patrol the Tweetsie Trail, and anyone on a full-length jaunt of the seven-mile stretch could encounter officers from three different agencies.
So why does it take three agencies to patrol a walking trail that belongs to Johnson City?
It’s because the trail runs through three jurisdictions — Johnson City, Carter County and Elizabethton.
“The city owns the trail, but just because the city owns property in another jurisdiction, we are not responsible for policing that area,” Johnson City Police Maj. Karl Turner said. City police officers conduct random patrols on bikes, feet and ATVs on the one-mile section that’s in the city limits, he said.
JCPD officials met with Carter County and Elizabethton law enforcement leaders before the trail opened in August 2014 to ensure it was covered.
“I don’t know how they patrol it, but they were in agreement they’d patrol as well,” Turner said.
Elizabethton Police Chief Greg Workman said his department has 12 officers certified to ride bikes on patrol when needed. Those officers share six bikes and conduct Tweetsie Trail patrols regularly.
“At least twice a week, those officers will ride that trial. We patrol from Snap-On Tools all the way to Sparks Road in the Milligan area,” Workman said. Carter County picks up the area between Sparks Road and the Johnson City city limits, he said.
“It is a Johnson City-owned trail, but we felt it was not necessary for Johnson City officers to come over and enforce just the trail in Elizabethton. So any violations of law, we would enforce that where that trail falls into the city limits of Elizabethton,” Workman said.
Most of the activity that requires law enforcement has been minor, he said. There has been a bicyclist struck by a vehicle and another biker wrecked on his own and was injured. The remaining issue is litter along the trail, Workman said.
“We seem to get more medical calls for assistance with shortness of breath, injury to the back and those type things,” Workman said. In Johnson City, Turner said most of the police calls occur at the trailhead parking lot at 116 Alabama St.
Since February, those calls consist of a few non-injury wrecks, a vehicle burglary, found property, a suspicious person and a suspicious vehicle. Also during that time, JCPD officers have conducted two bike patrols, eight foot patrols and four extra patrols.