Sending New Sheriffs to School

Before they take office, newly elected sheriff's in Tennessee attend a training course. The course, developed by the County Technical Assistance Service and the Tennessee Corrections Institute, orients new sheriffs with everything from personnel matters to jail management.

CTAS Field Consultant Manager Jim Hart, Tennessee Corrections Institute Executive Director Will Wall and new Loudon County Sheriff Jimmy Davis discuss the school on this episode of In Touch with Tennessee. 

Transcript

Audio file

Edited Sheriff's School_mixdown_01.mp3

Transcript

00:00:00 Susan Robertson (host)

Hi and welcome to In touch with Tennessee, a podcast of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service.

00:00:13 Susan Robertson (host)

In 2006, the state of Tennessee enacted a law that every person elected sheriff in irregular August elections and as a first time sheriff.

00:00:22 Susan Robertson (host)

Regardless of previous experience, must complete the newly elected sheriff school prior to taking office.

00:00:30 Susan Robertson (host)

This is a two week 80 hour.

00:00:32 Susan Robertson (host)

Training session with instruction by staff from the County Technical Assistance Service or CTAS

00:00:39 Susan Robertson (host)

The Tennessee Corrections Institute, the Tennessee Sheriff's Association and the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.

00:00:48 Susan Robertson (host)

We're here today to learn more about the newly elected sheriff school with our guest Jim Hart.

00:00:54 Susan Robertson (host)

Field consultant manager for CTAS

00:00:57 Susan Robertson (host)

Will Wall, executive director of the Tennessee Corrections Institute and Loudon County Sheriff Jimmy Davis.

00:01:05 Susan Robertson (host)

Welcome, gentlemen.

00:01:09 Will Wall

Good morning.

00:01:11

So this is.

00:01:12 Susan Robertson (host)

For Will and Jim, how did the.

00:01:15 Susan Robertson (host)

Newly elected sheriff school get started.

00:01:21 Jim Hart

 I can start.

00:01:22 Will Wall

Jim, would you like to take that?

00:01:25 Jim Hart

 I spoke.

00:01:27 Jim Hart

I've got a history lesson yesterday from a retired law enforcement consultant Terry Hazard and then from one of our attorneys, Steve Austin.

00:01:39 Jim Hart

There's been a shift school for newly elected sheriffs that have been around for for quite a few years.

00:01:48 Jim Hart

Baraf was required.

00:01:49 Jim Hart

To go upon being elected, it was a one week program in 2006.

00:01:56 Jim Hart

The code was changed and actually was written by Steve Austin at the request of the Tennessee Sheriff's Association that.

00:02:05 Jim Hart

the new Sheriff School, and mandated mandated the the training requirements in 2010. There was discussions with the Tennessee shares in see task and the Law Enforcement Academy that addressed it, addressed a need for some jail related training.

00:02:26 Jim Hart

That led to the addition of the second week of the New Sheriff School that that the first one was in 2010 and at that time what we did was we brought in the National Institute of Corrections that brought up put together A1 week program for the newly elected chair.

00:02:43 Jim Hart

And then from there, after further discussion with persons like William Wall and and see task, we decided that we could probably deliver a training program as it relates to jails.

00:02:58 Jim Hart

In going in the future. So as of 2014, it was a collaboration with TCIC task regarding that that second week of jail train.

00:03:09 Will Wall

And I'll add to that that part of that, I believe in 2000, well prior to 2006 there was only one hour dedicated to corrections, one to two hours to provide a little bit of historical perspective. I'm Brian Grisham who is the.

00:03:27 Will Wall

The retired director of the Law Enforcement Training Academy and he's currently at the TCI Chief Counsel and provide a little perspective with he and Terry Ash, who was at the time the Wilson County Sheriff and then moved into the executive director position at the Sheriff's Association discuss that.

00:03:47 Will Wall

You know there's only one to two hours of Corrections involved than the you know prior to legislation.

00:03:55 Will Wall

Involved in the New Sheriff school, yet it accounts for the mass majority of the liability.

00:04:01 Will Wall

Related to the office of Sheriff so that.

00:04:04 Will Wall

That was one of the things that both at the time, Director Grisham and Sheriff Ash.

00:04:11 Will Wall

Worked on, that was to say we have a need for this second week dedicated to corrections.

00:04:17 Will Wall

Due to it.

00:04:18 Will Wall

Being the the mass majority of that sheriff's liability.

00:04:22 Susan Robertson

OK, well in addition to corrections, what are some of the other topics covered during the two week session?

00:04:30 Will Wall

As far as.

00:04:31 Will Wall

Tennessee Corrections Institute is concerned.

00:04:34 Will Wall

We highly focus on on jail standards and somewhat it.

00:04:40 Will Wall

It's an overview of OK.

00:04:42 Will Wall

What are the things that that assist you in operating a correctional  facility.

00:04:54 Will Wall

Because we have standards developed with national standards in mind, such as the the ACA standards of the Department of Justice and Things of that nature that that give you a guideline.

00:04:56

Stop it.

00:05:06 Will Wall

It's definitely not what what exists in your policy to say, hey, this is what you're going to do.

00:05:11 Will Wall

I mean, it provides a guideline to say, hey, these are the.

00:05:13 Will Wall

Minimum things that that are required from you to run that facility.

00:05:19 Will Wall

And we really.

00:05:20 Will Wall

Focus it, I want to say in.

00:05:22 Will Wall

This last.

00:05:23 Will Wall

We focused more than a full day on both the minimum standards and accreditation standards.

00:05:30 Will Wall

Lots of legal topics covered the state of the jails, talking about crowding and and common common problems.

00:05:39 Will Wall

That sheriffs run into during the operation of the jail and and I'll turn it over to Jim.

00:05:44 Will Wall

He can discuss some some more topics as well.

00:05:48 Jim Hart

Shinto some of that those things.

00:05:50 Jim Hart

In the first week we.

00:05:51 Jim Hart

We  sort of give some of those ideas of best practices, what?

00:05:56 Jim Hart

What are effective operations in jails we talk about looking internally and establishing a culture of assessing things that may not have gone right, but those things where there were problems.

00:06:09 Jim Hart

That occurred, but we did.

00:06:10 Jim Hart

The right thing so so looking internally to assess, assess your own operations and we'll talk.

00:06:15 Jim Hart

I'm going to talk about.

00:06:16 Jim Hart

A bales of other things on that first or second week.

00:06:20 Jim Hart

During the first week we introduce.

00:06:22 Jim Hart

All of the stakeholders to the to the new sheriffs

00:06:28 Jim Hart

We have presentations regarding the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Sheriff

00:06:33 Jim Hart

We talk about civil liability, risk management, budgeting, finance, managing the drug fund.

00:06:41 Jim Hart

Managing the evidence, room and disposal of property.

00:06:45 Jim Hart

Couple of things such as employment law, FMLA, FMLA.

00:06:49 Jim Hart

We have several different opportunities for long term sheriff's and sheriff's that were elected in the the previous four years to come in and have roundtable discussions with the newly elected sheriffs that to share some of their lessons.

00:07:05 Jim Hart

Learned and their ideas on what?

00:07:09 Susan Robertson

This sounds like some great topics, how?

00:07:11 Susan Robertson

Would you say that that the.

00:07:13 Susan Robertson

The two weeks prepare a new sheriff to take office.

00:07:18 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

You want me to take that?

00:07:19 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

You want to talk.

00:07:23 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

First of all, thank you for having me.

00:07:25 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

It's it's an honor to be involved.

00:07:27 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

In this I.

00:07:28 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

I think it.

00:07:29 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Really my mic, so I'll give you a little bit of my experience and my take on it from my perspective is I've been at the same Sheriff's Office for 28 years.

00:07:37 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Starting as volunteer, working my way up through the ranks, whether it Corrections patrol, patrol supervision and administration for 17 years so you think you'd have a pretty good handle on you know the office of Sheriff and.

00:07:49 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And the responsibilities by statute and the Constitution.

00:07:55 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And I learned it.

00:07:56 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

It was a lot of information even with the the experience I have, it was still like drinking through a firehose.

00:08:03 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

There was so much information and such a good refresher of things, even as a chief deputy for the last five years.

00:08:11 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

It still gives you a perspective of being the sheriff and being.

00:08:14 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Basically, the bug stops.

00:08:15 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

With you and you're.

00:08:17 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Responsible for every function of the Sheriff's Office.

00:08:22 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

The school really taught me.

00:08:25 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

How blessed I was to have the experience of being.

00:08:28 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

The Sheriff's Office.

00:08:29 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Many times I spoke to other administrators that had been in their Sheriff's Office for a while before coming sheriff's.

00:08:37 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

How in the dark it would seem if you were coming in as a sheriff coming into a Sheriff's Office?

00:08:42 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

You didn't currently work at whether you were retired or coming from a Police Department or something of that nature, or free from a state agency.

00:08:51 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

How lost in like a ball in high weeds.

00:08:54 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

To say you would have no idea which direction to go.

00:08:57 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

But we see tasks especially in the first week.

00:09:00 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Like given the instruction of what you're responsible.

00:09:03 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

For what your risk?

00:09:05 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Authority is.

00:09:07 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Uh, and I use that word lightly.

00:09:10 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Your authority is overshadowed by your responsibility and how you need to treat your officers, or how you need to treat your deputies coming in as a new sheriff and how to.

00:09:20 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Avoid the pitfalls that that grab sheriff's whether it be the power that they've just come into, or basically they're.

00:09:26 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Cigarettes not knowing how to deal with current employees that you know that was big.

00:09:32 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

A big warning with every speaker that spoke.

00:09:35 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Don't go in firing everybody 'cause you're going up in.

00:09:38 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Court and you're going to lose.

00:09:40 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

That was a very important.

00:09:42 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

I knew that from the beginning and it's it's a lot easier said.

00:09:44 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Than done so to.

00:09:45 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Speak, but things just seem to work out, and I think the warnings that they give and just an overview of every.

00:09:54 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

They talk about whether it be drug fund, finance, purchasing, and just how to treat your employees is really the best.

00:10:03 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

But one of the best schools I've been to, especially coming into this, thinking that you might know you have enough.

00:10:09 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

On the information you have for being in an office, as long as I have in the second week by far was probably one of the most.

00:10:17 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Uhm, I had the most learning 'cause I'd worked in corrections before.

00:10:22 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Supervised jail administrators before, but understanding.

00:10:28 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

The benefit of TCI.

00:10:31 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And see task of having those agencies available as more of an assistance or support rather than.

00:10:37 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

You know a.

00:10:39 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

An inspection type the the the, the willing and this.

00:10:44 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

After the first week I decided with the second week with TCI and see task focusing on corrections to bring my brand new jail administrator.

00:10:54 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

My brand new chief deputy and deputy chief with me.

00:10:57 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

So they could be exposed to it as well.

00:10:59 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

My absence, we all were on.

00:11:00 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

The same page.

00:11:02 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And they all got a big wake up call into what their responsibilities were, but it gave us a good handle to begin our administration and start on the right foot without having to work through worry with legal issues and.

00:11:16 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And things of that nature.

00:11:19 Susan Robertson

Great, great.

00:11:21 Susan Robertson

Now for the last.

00:11:23 Susan Robertson

The last course that you all.

00:11:25 Susan Robertson

Had I?

00:11:25 Susan Robertson

Mean the the the last session of the school?

00:11:29 Susan Robertson

How many new sheriffs were involved in that?

00:11:34 Will Wall

There were 24 new sheriffs, I believe my account is correct. I don't believe it was 25. I believe there's 24 new sheriffs which is the smaller the smallest of the the three that TCI has been involved in since 2012.

00:11:52 Susan Robertson

OK.

00:11:52 Will Wall

Or I'm sorry, excuse me since 2014.

00:11:55 Will Wall

But there was 24 new shares.

00:11:59 Will Wall

In this in this site.

00:12:02 Susan Robertson

OK OK, is this something that's?

00:12:04 Susan Robertson

Common in other states?

00:12:06 Susan Robertson

Or is this pretty unique to Tennessee?

00:12:08 Jim Hart

I'm not aware of other states that I'm certain that there are other states that have new Sheriff schools, new jail administrator schools.

00:12:09 Will Wall

Well and if.

00:12:18 Jim Hart

Off the top of my head, I'm not aware.

00:12:21

I see.

00:12:24 Will Wall

Yeah, and that's.

00:12:26 Will Wall

Again, I've I've researched and there's different associations that may put on, you know, some courses and and say, hey, you know now you're the sheriff and and you know here's some things you need to do, but as far as a full 2 weeks dedicated around, you know the qualifications of sheriff around.

00:12:46 Will Wall

You know so not to joke but oh.

00:12:49 Will Wall

So yeah, I'll speak to what the what Sheriff Davis said and that's you know if you're coming from a Police Department or you're a state trooper or you've been out of you know.

00:13:00 Will Wall

Out of the.

00:13:01 Will Wall

Sheriff's Office side.

00:13:02 Will Wall

For a period of time.

00:13:03 Will Wall

It's kind of, you know, hey.

00:13:05 Will Wall

Congratulations, you now have a jail.

00:13:09 Will Wall

And really, focusing on on both sides on both patrol and corrections I I do not know of another state that that that puts on a school.

00:13:20 Will Wall

I'm directed towards those items.

00:13:23 Susan Robertson

Oh wow, OK.

00:13:25 Susan Robertson

Jim, can you talk a little bit about how CTS is involved in the school?

00:13:31 Jim Hart

Sure, this program evolves every four years that there are some similarities, but there's also a lot of differences as laws change as new initiatives come out and.

00:13:44 Jim Hart

As we have new ideas on best practices, some lessons learned on some things that didn't go so well.

00:13:53 Jim Hart

If you will, we are introducing that into into these two weeks and and we'll mention both law enforcement and corrections, but there is a sort.

00:14:02 Jim Hart

Of a third leg that we really.

00:14:04 Jim Hart

Heavily introduced that that that first week is personnel.

00:14:07 Jim Hart

Related, I think.

00:14:08 Jim Hart

Sheriff Davis alluded to that.

00:14:10 Susan Robertson

Right?

00:14:11

These two weeks.

00:14:12 Jim Hart

Are really a collaboration between seat as TCI, the Tennessee shares, and the law Enforcement Training Academy.

00:14:21 Jim Hart

We started meeting.

00:14:24 Jim Hart

I want to say it was December of 2021 to start outlining the two weeks we matched several or all the the the players in those those different organizations met several times throughout the year leading up to this and building and refining the program.

00:14:42 Jim Hart

Each of us were involved in identifying.

00:14:44 Jim Hart

Different instructors to commend different stakeholders to come in to deliver presentation.

00:14:54 Jim Hart

Will Will Walt.

00:14:55 Jim Hart

William Wallace, in his team and myself and and Steve Austin.

00:15:00 Jim Hart

Terry Hazard, John really from C tests were all involved as as presenters as well.

00:15:04 Jim Hart

During those two weeks so.

00:15:06 Jim Hart

A lot of lot of behind.

00:15:07 Jim Hart

The scene collaboration and partnering to really try to bring a a good program.

00:15:13 Jim Hart

Together that his sheriff Davis mentioned it was like getting hit with a firehose for two weeks of information that we are trying to provide to cover as many different topics and issues to help them be successful.

00:15:28 Jim Hart

When they return back to their agencies.

00:15:30 Susan Robertson

Do you ever see that come?

00:15:33 Susan Robertson

This may be leaving to a three-week session in the future. Or yeah, I'm sure you could probably make it as long as you'd like, but you know what do you see in the future for the new Sheriff school?

00:15:46 Jim Hart

Well, I think I think you know couple things.

00:15:49 Jim Hart

We have heard that.

00:15:51 Jim Hart

There is certainly enough material and and more material that that could support a longer program.

00:16:00 Jim Hart

However, we also reckon have to balance the fact that that the elected chairs and some of their chief deputies and jail administrators.

00:16:10 Jim Hart

Have an office to run.

00:16:12 Jim Hart

And and being.

00:16:13 Speaker 2

Right?

00:16:13 Jim Hart

Away too long is detrimental to trying to start implementing and affecting change in their office week.

00:16:21 Jim Hart

One of the new Sheriff School is is in August before they ask to the election and before they assume.

00:16:28 Jim Hart

The office of Sheriff from September 1st and then.

00:16:30 Jim Hart

The jail week.

00:16:32 Jim Hart

Usually one to two weeks after coming into office.

00:16:35 Jim Hart

So as you can imagine, there's a lot of a lot of things going on on on September 1st and and even today, making that making that transition so.

00:16:47 Jim Hart

In one hand.

00:16:48 Jim Hart

There's certainly an opportunity for lengthier schools, but

00:16:51 Jim Hart

On the other.

00:16:52 Jim Hart

Hand we also have to recognize that there there's work.

00:16:55 Jim Hart

To be done.

00:16:57 Jim Hart

Coming into office.

00:16:59 Will Wall

And I and I would definitely agree with Jim’s statement.

00:17:02 Will Wall

But the one thing I I definitely would like to get across is that that the new share school that two weeks is just the start and and what I mean by that is based off of everything that occurs during that that new share school we establish contacts.

00:17:20 Will Wall

We start working together as a team outside.

00:17:24 Will Wall

Of outside of the school, we start preparing prior and between CTAS, the sheriff's Association, the law Enforcement Training Academy.

00:17:33 Will Wall

We come together on those issues because as the new sheriffs are learning, of course 2 weeks is not enough to answer every question they have or an issue that comes up.

00:17:42 Will Wall

So we start.

00:17:43 Will Wall

We start putting our.

00:17:44 Will Wall

Teams together and going out and providing technical assistance and help wherever we can.

00:17:49 Will Wall

You know the the days of the days of living in in silos we're hoping are long gone and that we collaborate as a team.

00:17:53 Speaker 2

Right?

00:17:57 Will Wall

While we're all different entities and different agencies across this.

00:18:00 Will Wall

State we found that the team approached not just during the two weeks, but 365 days a year.

00:18:08 Will Wall

We're trying to work together to help the sheriffs do the best possible job they can, and we we try to serve them by by helping them serve the citizens better and and really if they need us, they can contact.

00:18:21 Will Wall

So the the new share school is just the start of a relationship that helps that process move along and serve the citizens of the state of Tennessee.

00:18:29 Susan Robertson

Great, well I appreciate you all joining us today.

00:18:32 Susan Robertson

Is there anything else you'd like to inform our listeners about about the new newly elected sheriff school?

00:18:41 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

I believe that it's one of the most important.

00:18:45 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Just in starting an administration and coming in like they said, you know I we had some conversations with the new shoe amongst ourselves, with new sheriffs coming in that hadn't even been allowed in their building yet.

00:18:58 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

And you're talking that they haven't worked there at all, possibly, and I wouldn't say a hostile.

00:19:06 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Take over, but you know you have some heated elections and some sheriffs that are defeated.

00:19:11 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Or you know some can be so difficult to deal with as a new sheriff come.

00:19:16 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Again, and like you said, you know I was blessed that in in my county in my race my.

00:19:24 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Of office was one in the primary, so I had from May and had a very friend.

00:19:31 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Friendly exchange of power I guess.

00:19:33 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

If you say with the sheriff that had been that I've worked.

00:19:36 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

For the sheriff for.

00:19:38 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

28 years and he had been here 32 years as sheriff, so I had probably the best scenario you could have of having a friendly exchange of command and some of these other sheriffs. I don't see how they did it and I don't see.

00:19:54 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

I see the percentage being very low in a lot of major mistakes, if not for the first week and definitely the second week, as as will alluded, alluded to that now you have a jail and you have no idea what a jail is responsible for.

00:20:10 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

What liability is 'cause it was every sheriff.

00:20:14 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

That they had every speaker was fantastic.

00:20:16 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Where you know in the first weekend second Keith the wealth of knowledge at C test has in the areas of that they deal with and the experts that TCI has and we just did another class dealer with the program summit, which is one of the things I.

00:20:34 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Our ran on was trying to improve programs within the jail and TCI and everyone did a great presentation a couple of weeks ago to help me keep those promises I made of returning citizens out of Corrections back into society and giving them a chance to do.

00:20:51 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Overall basically improves your community.

00:20:54 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Because Jim's saying is there are friends and neighbors and they will continue to be that after they're there.

00:21:02 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

So the school is phenomenal.

00:21:04 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

It could be longer, but like they said, your do.

00:21:08 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

One week is prior to your swearing in the second is after and you know, I think that's where your Tennessee Sheriff's Association really comes in and doing training all through the year.

00:21:20 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

That helps and having?

00:21:21 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Speakers from C tasks and TCI obviously involved, and the relationships you you learn.

00:21:27 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

I know a lot of the new sheriffs that that came in that didn't know the director at those from C tasks have really hung on to them, and they've been able to use them as a resource, right?

00:21:38 Sheriff Jimmy Davis

Like I said of policing agency.

00:21:40 Susan Robertson

Right?

00:21:42 Susan Robertson

Right well, thanks again for joining us.

00:21:45 Susan Robertson

I'm very informative session and thank you listeners for tuning in today.

00:21:50 Susan Robertson

Be sure to follow us on Spotify or Apple and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

00:21:57 Susan Robertson

Thank you.