Sheriff Jim Hammond told members of the Brainerd Kiwanis Club on Friday it is time for a get-tough stance with local gang members.

He said, "We need to run them out of town, put them in jail, or send them to the funeral home."

The sheriff said if the gang violence continues, many will no longer be willing to go downtown. He also said it is a threat to continued economic growth and tourism here.

He said, "If we are going to stop this, we are going to have to have a real hard-nose attitude."

Sheriff Hammond said he believes that 80 percent of the county "is very safe." He said that number may go down if the gangs spread out.

He said there are about 15 "solid gangs" operating here.

He said some of the gang members are as young as eight years old and have little or no family involvement. He said three very young youths were stopped recently breaking into cars very early in the morning. He said, "Not one of them had family that knew where they were or cared where they were."

At the same time, he said he is preparing to launch a program seeking to reach at-risk youths at the elementary level. He said the aim is to bolster them so they won't join gangs.

He said Chattem and other private business plans to support the program at Calvin Donaldson School. It would involve officers working directly with the students and their parents and teachers.

Sheriff Hammond said there is a need to replace the County Jail, saying it is 35 years old and is labor intensive. "We are throwing good money after bad keeping it up. It is falling apart at the seams," he said.

He said a new jail would cost in the range of $30 million.

Sheriff Hammond said another expensive need is replacing the current police firing range at Moccasin Bend. He said that facility is deteriorating and the federal government wants the property for the national park.

He said because of all the requirements associated with a shooting range that it would cost $8 million to replace it.

The sheriff said his proposal is to find 40-50 acres and establish a shooting range and also an officer training center to serve 28 agencies in Southeast Tennessee. He said it would serve as a training site for new officers and for in-service training.

Sheriff Hammond said because of a number of high-profile cases and the April tornadoes that he is running $300,000 over budget.

He said it cost over $32,000 to retrieve the Jeep driven over a bluff by Gail Palmgren and for the forensics in the case.