News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Sheriff’s Department seeing success filling many of its new Justice Center positions, many being filled by retired officers moving to the area.
Putnam Sheriff Eddie Farris said many of the retired officers moved to Putnam County before finding out about the vacant positions. After enjoying settling here, Farris said many saw the need for law enforcement and decided they had the energy to return to work.
“Having people that have experience in the correctional setting in some form of fashion just brings a ton of knowledge,” Farris said. “And it certainly helps all the new people, the brand new people with no experience that we’re hiring, certainly helps us train those and get those on the way.”
Farris said he hopes the experienced employees will help corrections staff to become more efficient all around. The new Justice Center set to open late next spring, and Farris said recruitment has gone well, thanks in part to improved salaries provided by the County Commission.
Farris said law enforcement is more of a duty than a job, and those coming out of retirement do it for the good of Putnam.
“You know they don’t do it for the pay, it’s really a calling,” Farris said. “People get into law enforcement really as people wanting to help people.”
Farris said though part of the job is to enforce the law, most of the job is helping law-abiding citizens in Putnam.
“Like I tell all of my new employees here, 96 percent of people here in Upper Cumberland and Putnam County for sure, are good people,” Farris said. “And they’re paying our salary so that’s who we’re really working for.”
Farris said every new hire of an experienced officer is a win for Putnam County. Farris said that it doesn’t matter if the employment lasts one year or five, they’re still making a positive impact.
