Larry Ables, Hamilton County’s chief magistrate.Hamilton County commissioners are seeking biweekly reports from the chief magistrate with the background “on everybody that is caught or charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, rape or any capital offense.”
In a Thursday meeting, Commissioner Fred Skillern proposed that the body request the regular reports to raise awareness about those charged who have prior records. The commission cast a unanimous show of support and designated Security and Corrections Committee Chairman Mitch McClure to coordinate with Chief Magistrate Larry Ables.
“Not that we have any authority over it, but it would be coming to us in a written form and would be more available to the public,” Skillern said.
Many commissioners weighed in on the spate of recent violence in the area.
“If we want extraordinary things to happen as far as safety, as far as crime abatement in our community, we’re going to have to do some extraordinary things to get there,” Commissioner Greg Beck said.