The statutory duties of the Sheriff are (1) keeping the peace, (2) attending the courts, (3) serving the process and orders of the courts, and (4) operating the jail.  Each of these divisions plays a vital role in the daily operations of the sheriff’s office.

THE ROANE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

The Roane County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for several different areas of operations, including, but not limited to, administrative operations, records division, dispatch operations, patrol division, criminal investigations, drug investigations, methamphetamine unit, K-9 division, warrants division, courthouse security, school resource officer division, and training division.  Listed below are brief summaries of each division or responsibility.

• Administrative operations: Personnel management, budget preparation, and community policing.
• Records Division: Tennessee Incident Based Reporting Systems (TIBRS) management, Titian Accident management, NCIC file management and filing of department documents.
• Dispatch Operations: Liaison between the public and other office officials including deputies and correctional staff.
• Patrol Division: The Roane County patrol division consists of (25) deputies including supervisors.  This division is responsible for covering 395 square miles and extending service to approximately 54,000 citizens.  Our deputies answer approximately 1,700 calls for service monthly, ranging from severe and violent offenses to minor traffic offenses.  Currently to date for this year our deputies have served 5,440 civil warrants and 4,452 criminal warrants.  Deputies are also responsible for transporting mentally ill people to Peninsula, Ridgeview, Moccasin bend and other State facilities.
• Criminal Investigations: CID consist of (4) detectives responsible for investigating all crimes in Roane County ranging from minor offenses to violent crimes.  The CID also conducts internal affairs investigations.
• Drug Investigations: Roane County drug unit consist of (2) agents and they are required to investigate all drug cases for the sheriff’s office.  Everything from street level drug dealers to major drug conspiracy cases.
• Methamphetamine Unit: Roane County Sheriff’s Office has (4) deputies from the patrol division that specializes in combating the Meth problem in our county.  They are responsible for investigations, processing active labs, checking the pseudoephedrine registry and educating the public.
• K-9 Division: Roane County Sheriff’s office K-9 unit consists of narcotics and explosive detection.  The unit also has the ability to track people and articles.
• Warrants Division: Liaison with the courts for civil and criminal warrants.  Ensure the warrants are entered into the record management system for accountability.  Oversee the serving of all papers.
• Courthouse Security: Officers are responsible for providing appropriate levels of security to the courts and offices within the courthouse.
• School Resource Division: Provide a safe and secure environment for the children and faculty throughout the campus.  School resource officers provide a positive atmosphere for all students and faculty.
• Training Division: The training division provides all POST approved curriculum to meet the minimum requirements for the State.  The training division is responsible for our citizen academy and handgun carry permit classes.  Neighborhood Watch programs are taught by both the training division and patrol unit.

Additional information can be viewed at the Roane County Sheriff’s Office website at http://www.roanesheriff.org/

THE ROANE COUNTY JAIL

By state statute the Sheriff is responsible for operating the jail.  In September 2009, Roane County opened is newly built jail.  During this time, the sheriff’s office moved approximately 93 male inmates and 27 female inmates to the new jail.  The jail has seen its population soar to approximately 260 inmates and at times the female population has been as high as 70.  Currently, our population is 162 inmates with 33 of the population being female inmates.  The number of inmates varies on a daily basis.

The jail is governed by Tennessee Corrections Institute and there are categories covered that must meet the minimum TCI standards, such as physical plant, administration/ management, personnel, security, discipline, sanitation/maintenance, food services, mail and visiting, prisoner programs and activities, medical services, admission records and release, hygiene, supervision of prisoners, and classification.

The corrections staff has a very extensive regiment to follow on a daily basis just to keep the jail in compliance with TCI minimum standards. A brief description of the duties and responsibilities of the jail staff is as follows:

For example:

1. The staff is responsible for making sure the inmates are fed three times daily.
2. The staff is responsible for making sure medications are passed out at least twice daily.
3. There is a regiment of sick call and 12 day physicals that are mandated by TCI.  This process is done every day and sometimes twice daily due to the high numbers of inmates being housed.
4. The staff has to stand guard at the hospital anytime an inmate has to be hospitalized.
5. The staff is responsible for transporting inmates to doctor’s appointments, to and from other jails, etc.
6. Monday is General Sessions Court. The corrections officers are responsible for taking approximately 70-100 people to court.  There are often times that the Grand Jury has met and that would add approximately another 60-70 that would require transport.  During the court process, the corrections staff are required to provide security while at the courthouse.
7. Sanitation and maintenance items are passed by the corrections staff for the inmates to clean their areas.  Certain areas must have corrections stand guard, for example, the kitchen requires a corrections officer be present.
8. There is a daily regimen of laundry that has to meet TCI requirements.
9. Food services are managed by a correctional officer who oversees the production of food.  TCI requires a dietician-approved menu.
10. The jail has implemented a GED program and it allows inmates to obtain their GED while incarcerated.  However, if you are under the age of 21, it is mandatory that we offer this program.
11. The Roane County Jail provides inmate labor for the county and other municipalities.
12. The Roane County jail also operates an inmate work crew that is primarily assigned to picking up litter throughout Roane County.
13. The staff is responsible for processing in and out all people arrested in Roane County.  RCSO processes arrested people for several agencies, including Harriman Police Department, Rockwood Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.