Lowndes County supervisors are eyeing a solution to the county’s illegal dumping problem.
During a wide-ranging discussion Wednesday morning at the courthouse, at least some board members wanted to explore installing cameras to capture miscreants in the act.
District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith said he had been getting lots of calls about dumping in his district.
“We’ve had discussions about cameras in various areas as extra eyes,” Smith said. “I know the sheriff’s office can’t have people in every location, so I would like to see cameras in problem areas.”
Supervisors noted illegal dumping sites are prevalent countywide.
The sheriff’s office has “four or five” cameras in high-crime areas now, County Administrator Jay Fisher said, and was authorized to buy 20 more in March at a cost of about $63,000. While those are video cameras, the county has tried its luck with trail-type cameras in the past.
President Trip Hairston said those efforts had not been fruitful because, when the trail cameras are triggered, they flash. That flash gives the cameras away, and they end up being shot or stolen.
District 3 Supervisor John Holliman said there were ways around that with better technology.
“There are game cameras that don’t flash,” he said. “It’s tied to your phone, and as soon as it’s activated it sends a picture. They can still destroy the camera, but you’ve got them.”
District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said part of the problem is Justice Court historically has been slow to prosecute dumping cases, but District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders said he didn’t think that would be a problem with photographic evidence.
“You get someone’s letter or something with their address on it (from a dump site), and they say somebody else got the garbage and dumped it,” Sanders said. “If we’ve got a camera there, you’ve got evidence of who dumped it and it would be hard to dismiss with that physical evidence.”
Board Attorney Tim Hudson suggested board members meet with County Prosecutor William Starks.
“Anyone with a complaint fills out a form with what evidence they have, and he reviews it and recommends how to proceed,” Hudson said. “Once he files a charge, it’ll come before the court and (the judge) will rule.”
‘There’s a tire about every 10 feet’
One of the worst problems is people dumping tires, said Road Manager Mike Aldridge, because they are so labor-intensive to pick up.
“The labor intensity is just murder, trying to get them picked up and put in a trailer,” Aldridge said. “Over on Nash Road, about once every two weeks there’ll be a tire about every 10 feet on both sides of the road.”
Aldridge estimated the Road Department picked up about 120 tires in one spot on Robinson Road.
“We average picking up 750 tires a month,” Aldridge estimated. “That many tires isn’t coming from a farm or an individual.”
Tires the county picks up are taken to Saltillo for disposal, Aldridge said.
Aldridge said tire stores are supposed to monitor how tires are disposed of.
“Larger shops like Bates, OK Tire, Lowndes Radial, Walmart, they keep a manifest,” Aldridge said. “Some of these smaller shops, I guarantee you they don’t know what a manifest is.”
Hairston suggested a meeting between himself, Hudson and Starks to discuss the best way to prosecute illicit dumping before the county committed itself to buying more cameras. He also suggested finding a way to educate small tire shops about how to dispose of tires correctly.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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