Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Reaches Re-Accreditation

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has achieved re-accreditation, one of just six counties in the state to be accredited by the Tennessee Law Enforcement Association.

Sheriff Eddie Farris said the department must meet standards for professionalism, organization, policy, and procedures.

“It’s very difficult for a Sheriff’s Office to get accredited because of the jail itself,” Farris said. “It just makes it more difficult. So I’m very proud of that. We have one of the best professional and educated departments.”

Farris said becoming accredited was a goal when he became Sheriff. The county first received accreditation in 2017. The department goes under accreditation review every three years.

“We’ve got some great individuals who are out here representing Putnam County, and who are having contact with our citizens every day, and I appreciate that very much,” Farris said.

He said he is trying to give the citizens the most professional, educated, best-looking Sheriff’s Office possible. He said the citizens of Putnam County deserve that.

“I’m very proud of where we’ve come to and we always have room for improvement,” Farris said. “So we’ll continue trying everyday to get better and this is just one of those processes that helps us do that.”

He said the process allows the department to uncover areas where they are not meeting standards that they have set for themselves. He said the department is assessed in comparison with the very best sheriff’s department in the state of Tennessee.