I was honored to host the Annual Denton County Mayors Crime Prevention Luncheon on Jan. 22. This annual event, started by your previous Mayor Sue Tejml, is co-sponsored by major sponsor CoServ Electric and Copper Canyon.
The purpose is having a majority of Denton County’s law enforcement agencies together to discuss a topic of interest followed by mutual communications. The guest list included national government representatives, state representatives, county commissioners, mayors, Sheriff’s Department leadership, police chiefs, fire chiefs, constables and local justices of the peace among others.
Almost 100 safety representatives were in attendance from every agency associated with Denton County. Each of them focus every day on ensuring you and your family’s safety.
A huge thank you to our Town Hall staff members Troy Meyer and Colleen Calhoun. Their efforts made this annual event the tremendous success it is.
We also appreciate the generosity of Andrea Herndon, Worship & Events Coordinator and her team at Oaks Chapel Bible Church in Double Oak for the use of their sanctuary, as well as the staff who help manage this event each year. Thank you to these volunteers.
This year’s speaker was Scott Tschirhart. For 25 years, Mr. Tschirhart has practiced civil litigation and appeals in state and federal courts. Prior to joining his firm, Mr. Tschirhart served as a Houston Police Officer and later as a Deputy Sheriff for Medina County. He has extensive experience defending civil rights and Section 1983 litigation, including police use-of-force cases. His presentation covered topics such as ICE enforcement tactics and public safety, staying ahead of emerging issues and crises, and managing media and public information requests. I know his presentation will be put to good use by our local agencies to ensure our front line officers are effective and safe.
Speaking of safety, now I want to focus on financial safety. The town recently became aware of an email scam involving fraudulent payment requests for permits and other fees. Copper Canyon, along with several other communities nationwide, was targeted in a high-tech scam that involved the unauthorized use of the town’s logo. To be clear, none of the Town’s computer systems were hacked nor was any information maintained by the Town accessed. Instead, scammers copied the town’s logo and used it in emails sent to residents requesting immediate wire transfers. This is a method never used by our town and should raise a big red flag if you ever see this. Please be aware that the Town does not request payments in this manner and will not demand immediate payment or ask for sensitive financial information by phone, email or text.
Residents should be cautious of any unsolicited communication that: requests payment by wire transfer or unconventional methods, creates a sense of urgency or pressure and asks for personal or financial information. If you receive a communication that seems suspicious or claims to be from the Town, we encourage you to contact Town Hall directly to verify the request before taking any action. The Town staff only found out about it from reporting by one individual. If you are ever asked to pay a third party claiming they are from the Town, let us know immediately so we can have the authorities track it down.
On a topic we have been working on for a couple of months is the establishment of an ordinance to control any potential aircraft flight operations inside Town limits. We have been requesting input thru town meetings and studying other town’s ordinances as we currently have no guidance. Of our neighboring towns, one has published restrictions and one does not. We are learning from their experience and believe establishing some Town control is best for all citizens.
Hopefully there will soon be an ordinance for us that ensures everyone is safe and we keep Copper Canyon they way we all want it. Also to be clear, there have been no applications or talk of any aircraft operations inside our town, contrary to what some have posted on social media. This is a preemptive look-forward to establish rules for you and your family’s well-being. This mayor and town council are always looking to protect your lifestyle.
My final point for this month’s column is our upcoming Town election. Election Day is May 2 where we have three town council places up for election. The last day to sign up for one of the Town wide positions is Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. All the information you need is on the town website or by contacting Town Hall. I hope everyone has a happy Valentine’s Day.
