• Edgar F. Patterson
  Chief Deputy

• Thomas L. Kujawa
  CPT Administration

• Douglas Tackett
  CPT Jail Administrator

• Mike Bowers
  CPT Enforcement

• John Bryant
  LT Courthouse Secutity

• Leon Sandifer II
  LT Patrol Division

• Roy Somers
  LT Jail Operations

• Julie Langdon
  Administrative Officer

• Wayne Reynolds
  SGT Workhouse

A Brief History of the Office of the Sheriff in Tennessee

The basic political subdivision in the United States of America is the County, a format upon which all government is based. It is at the county level where crime can best be recognized and curtailed.

The office of the Sheriff was first recognized in 1772 and was adopted into the Constitution of the State of Tennessee in 1796.

Under the Constitution and Statutes of Tennessee, the Sheriff is an elected official, and the primary conservator of the peace. The Sheriff is charged with more duties and responsibilities, statutory, than any other elected or appointed official in the state. The office of the Sheriff is the only position that requires that a candidate be psychologically tested to determine fitness to serve in the office. The Sheriff is elected for a term of four years and may succeed himself. There are no term limits.

The Sheriffs of Tennessee are equally responsible to the inhabitants within the incorporated cities of their respective county as they are to the inhabitants outside the city limits.

Duties of the
Office of the Sheriff

• Suppress all affrays, riots, routs, unlawful assemblies, insurrections and breaches of the peace.

• Detection of criminal activities, arrest of offenders, and investigation of all felonious activity within the county, including any vice violations.

• Responsible for the free flow of vehicular traffic along all roads and the apprehension of all offenders.

• To arrest those know to have intention of breaching the peace, the execution of all criminal warrants and capiases issued.

• To attend all courts in the county when they are in session and obey the lawful orders of the court as well as providing security, custody and care of jurors.

• Responsible for the execution and return of all civil process and orders of the court according to law, the execution and return of all writs, delinquent taxes, and other processes legally issued, and to the levying of all executions which are delivered to his office.

• The sheriff is the keeper of the county jail, required to take charge and custody of the prisoners therein and to receive those lawfully committed and keep them until they are discharged by law.

• Additionally, the sheriff is required to transport all insane persons coming into his charge to an appropriate institution,and if they have been charged with or committed some criminal act, take charge of them upon restoration of competence.

To perform the duties required, the Sheriff must rely on an adequate amount of professional, properly trained deputies. He must work in concert with fellow law enforcement agencies to support efforts to safeguard the community.

It is interesting to note the responsibilities of the other facets within the criminal justice realm. Each of the other agencies has its own realm within which it functions. Municipal police agencies operate strictly within the city boundaries. The Highway Patrol operates primarily in the area of traffic enforcement exclusively. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is an investigative body but operates as an arm of the District Attorney General except in certain specific criminal activity. The federal agencies operate within the field of federal law alone.

Criminal violations, whether they be local, state or federal all occur within the county. The county must provide protection of its citizens from local, federal and/or state crimes. County deputies are not limited to specific violations or certain areas within the county, the sheriff is the chief law enforcement in the county and is responsible for it all.

We in Tennessee recognize that all power is inherent in the people, all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety and happiness.

(Many thanks to Lawson White and Chief Deputy Edgar F. Patterson who contributed to this article.)

Patrol Division

Montgomery County, Tennessee consists of 543 square miles of territory. Within its boundaries are 1,241 miles of city and county roads, an additional 171 miles of state roads and 34 miles of interstate. This is what each shift has to look forward to daily.

In January, 2001, three Lieutenants interviewed for a newly created Captain's position I was selected to fill the position titled: Captain- Enforcement. Duties include supervising Criminal Investigations, Training Patrol Operations, Criminal & Civil Process, General Sessions & Circuit Courts, personnel recruitment and retention and assisting the Chief Deputy & Sheriff in the operation of the Sheriff's Office as needed. An addition Captain's position was authorized in September 2002, I was transferred into the newly created position of Captain, Administration and LT Bowers was promoted to Captain, Enforcement.Thisd promotion relieved me of the enforcement duties and has given me the opportunity to concentrate on recruitment, retention training and courthouse security of the newly constructed Courts Complex.

The Patrol Division is led by a patrol lieutenant, 3 shift sergeants and 3 corporals, who are departmental Field Training Officers.

We have two K-9 officers, Sergeant Wood, assigned to the evening shift and a Drug Interdiction Corporal who, with another deputy team up and work the day shift.

SGT Wood also heads the Emergency Services Unit (ESU), consisting of his K-9, a Bomb Squad, Criminal Interdiction and Tactical Units. He also leads and trains the all volunteer Search and Rescue Team made up of civilians and officers who have dogs capable of tracking for the purpose of locating missing persons, bodies, evidence, articles, etc..

All commissioned deputies maintain certification as required by the Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) Commission by attending a minimum of 40 hours of yearly in-service training. We currently use Code Blue, sponsored by the University of Tennessee, as main provider of instructional material for our in-service. Code Blue uses innovative methods of instruction, allowing inter- action between participants, problem solving, discussion and role playing. Additional training is given as required depending on the needs of the community and the department. We try to keep our officers up to date and proficient in all the constant changes of law enforcement.

Deputies are assigned individual patrol vehicles that they take home upon completion of their shift. This allows our officers to respond to calls quickly at the beginning of their shift and while enroute to their residence. They We are able to get four years use out of each vehicle and have found that one officer per car reduces maintenance expenses over the life of the vehicle. Our fleet was last replaced with 2000 Chevrolets and Fords having the police package.The drivers compartment is separated from the back seat by a metal and fiberglass partition for the operators protection.

Federal money, has been obtained to outfit our patrol vehicles with mobile data terminals and GIS, the satellite location system. Officers will be notified of pending calls by transmission to their computer monitor. This will eliminate the possibility of error through verbal radio transmission. Also, the GIS will identify and maintain constant geographic location of our patrol vehicles and will reduce response time and increase officer safety.

The deputy's issue weapon is the Sig-Sauer, .40 caliber automatic. Firearm training is offered monthly and two weeks are set aside in the fall for qualification, stress shooting and night firing. Proficiency with a firearm is a requirement of this profession.

Administration

Julie Langdon is our Administrative Officer, taking care of the operation of the Sheriff's Office with the Sheriff's Secretary, Tara Mai and a part-time clerk. All ordering, purchasing, paying bills, correspondence and related office duties are reviewed and supervised along with the operation of the Records Division of the department. Our Records Division consists of a supervisor, and six records clerks who make computer entries of all complaints, scan and make copies of reports,look up and provide information fors officers, courts etc.

Reserve Deputy Program

Over the years, our department developed and expanded a Reserve Deputy Program. Composed of up to 40 civilians, these volunteers meet monthly and receive forty hours of in-service training. We are the first Sheriff's department to have our reserves P.O.S.T. certified due to the basic training they receive prior to being commissioned and allowed to work with the regular deputies.

Before being accepted into the program, candidates must pass the same physical and psychological examination our regular deputies take, become proficient with their weapon and attend 40 hours of basic law enforcement training.

Once commissioned, the reserve officers are required to work a minimum of one weekend shift with a regular patrol deputy.

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Reserves are given the opportunity to volunteer for other needed assignments. Juvenile transports, in state transports and out of state extradition's, jail searches, surveillance's, hospital duty and warrant service are some of the assignments which they volunteer. These dedicated dedicated volunteers have demonstrated how the community can "literally" support local law enforcement. The amount of time they give to serving Montgomery County definitely exemplifies how Tennessee became known as the "Volunteer State."

SGT Brian Prentice is the coordinator for the Reserve Program. For more information regarding implementing a Reserve Program of your own, contact SGT Prentice.

Jail and County Workhouse

Ten years ago, our jail was refurbished and added to, giving us the capacity of holding 331 inmates. Sad to say, crime increased to the point that our renovation was not extensive enough to accomodate all who needed to be in jail. We are again in the conctruction mode adding a new complex with a capacity of holding another 900 inmates to the existing facility. Ground breaking for the new complex took place in the spring of 2001. Construction is expected to be completed in August, 2003. We are certified to hold federal prisoners and have held 50 at one time in the past. Room is no longer available for these prisoners as we have filled the available beds to capacity with State prisoners and inmates pending ajudication within our county.

In order to accommodate weekend sentences for DUI and other minor offenses, the Sheriff and CPT Tackett (Jail Administrator) found a vacant county building and had it renovated to serve as a detention facility. This building was staffed three days a week (Fri., Sat., and Sun.) and weekenders reported to that facility to be processed and serve their sentence. We have since closed that facility as our new workhouse has opened. The building is still available for overflow of convicted offenders.

The workhouse is staffed by SGT Reynolds, 3 corporals and 13 deputies. The facility holds up to one hundred forty-four male prisoners, those individuals sentenced to less than one year by the courts. Many are periodic, going to a job during the day and returning to the facility after work. A number of prisoners who do not have jobs are given the opportunity to go out with a crew know as the work gang. This is a funded project where these prisoners are used to clear right-of-way and pick up litter along the county roadsides. This is a great program as it gives the prisoners something to do and also gives something back to the community.

Working in the jail is not just watching prisoners in their cells. Of primary concern are the safety and care of inmates. Trips to medical and dental facilities, transporting inmates to courts, and to and from other jail facilities are some of the duties that are performed on a daily basis. Organizing recreational time, religious services and seeing that visitations are run efficiently are some of the activities that the jail personnel are required to oversee.

Teamwork is the key for the efficient operation of our jail facility. Officers must constantly be alert and look out for the safety of themselves and those they work with. Needless to say, this is a bit stressful at times.It takes a dedicated & concerned individual to work in this profession.

Criminal Investigations

Our Criminal Investigations Division is a multi faceted operation. The investigators wear a number of hats and often assist each other in investigations.

The county is divided into zones for patrol purposes. Investigators are assigned cases by an operations officer as soon as they are received.

Some of the other responsibilities that Criminal Investigations has are:

• Internal Affairs

• Juvenile transports

• SRO Program (School Resource Officers in each of the county High schools and Middle Schools)

• Junior Deputy Program (for all 6th grade students in the county school system)

• Neighborhood Watch Program

• Bomb Threats & disposal

• Reserve Deputy Program

A female investigator has been assigned as Juvenile Officer. She handles juvenile calls and responds to most incidents that occur in the elementary schools. A great amount of her time is utilized investigating child abuse and sexual abuse allegations. Recently, through a federal grant, we added a Youth Services Officer to our staff. He is kept busy attemping to prevent juvenile participation in any unlawful acts and oversees the complaints involving youthful offenders.

Needless to say, their days are usually very busy. Time goes by quickly and a lot is accomplished. With the situation in our society as it is, we don't anticipate any layoffs in the near future. It's great to have job security.

School Resource Officer Program

In 1996, a Federal Grant was requested for the purpose of hiring and training deputies who would be assigned on a full time basis to our local High Schools. The program has been successful. The students respect these officers and have a much better attitude toward Law Enforcement. The officers presence in the school give peace of mind to students, parents and teachers alike. The High School program has impressed the school administrators so well that we were asked to provide S.R.O.'s for the 6 middle schools in the county. The School Resource Program now has a contingent of 12 officers, 2 sergeants and one senior sergeant.

Civil Process and Courts

Two uniformed Sergeants lead these divisions. They are SGT Gaylen Hodges and SGT Vernon Mosley.

SGT Hodges supervises the Civil Process Section of the Sheriff's Office, the General Sessions and Juvenile Court baliffs and Criminal Process. Four deputies and one office deputy make up Civil Process. Five deputies work as baliffs. The four deputies assigned to the Civil Process Division have served over 30,000 legal papers in 2001. Approximately 30% of the papers came to us from other jurisdictions. Divorce papers and lawsuits numbered the highest, followed by Criminal Court, Grand Jury and General Sessions subpoenas. A Stop Grant afforded us the opportunity to add a Domestic Violence Officer who began our D.O.V.E. (Domestic Violence Enforcement) Unit. His primary duties are;to answer the domestic violence calls for service, follows up on all complaints answered by our partol deputies and those of office walk-ins, serve Orders of protection, domestic assault warrants and conditions of release and act as liason between victims, prosecutors and the courts.Since taking over the post as D.O.V.E. investigator, Dep Mark Wojnarek was able to obtain another grant which enabled us to add an additional deputy to the D.O.V.E. team. Much time will be spent educating victims on how to prevent domestic violence and what we can do to in assisting them.

It would be cost effective if the papers we recieve could be served on first attempt, unfortunately this is not always the case. Often, the people named in the papers make it very difficult as they try everything in their power to avoid service. Our officers work many different hours in order to make contact with those attempting to avoid service.

SGT Mosley supervises the Circuit Court Section of the Sheriff's Office. Five deputies have the responsibility of keeping a watchful eye over Chancery, Circuit, and our Criminal courts. Security within the courtroom, maintaining order and keeping abreast of the mounds of paperwork between the courts and the clerks offices are some of the deputies' daily duties. Affording care and protection of witnesses and jurists are a primary concern. These deputies are trained in the operation of detection devices and search procedures when called upon for safety and security reasons.

It's not pouring the judge a drink of water and going back to napping in the corner as depicted in some of the old movies you watch that makes up the day of our court officers.

Our courts dealt with over 15,500 Juvenile and Civil cases and over 72,500 Criminal cases for the year 2002.

The devestating tornado of January 1999 destroyed our main courthouse resulting in the necerssity to build a new Courts Complex. This building was completed and occupied in November of 2002. A new division of the Sheriff's Office has been developed to insure security of the new Courts Complex and for employees of the building and for citizens who have business within. We have transferred five jail deputies and hired four additional officers who will be directed by SGT Gaylen Hodges and be responsible and work to make sure the inside and outside of the Courts Complex remains safe and secure. Six jail deputies have been transferred to duties in the new holding facility of the Courts Complexs to care for the prisoners who will attend court.

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