Putnam Sheriff’s Dept. Already Hired Two-Thirds Of Employees Needed For New Facility

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department has hired two-thirds of its needed staff for the new Jail Facility just a few weeks into its recruitment efforts.

Sheriff Eddie Farris said they have hired 20 new employees out of 60, with a goal of hiring 30 by October. He said he attributes the success to the efforts of everyone in his department working together on the recruitment campaign.

“The main thing is we all agreed, all the employees agreed, to try and find at least one candidate that would be very suitable, that would be someone that they would like to work with that would be good for our Sheriff’s office and would fit in,” Farris said.

Just last year, Farris said they were having trouble even getting individuals to apply for job, much less be a solid candidate. He said the influx of quality candidates is a welcome change.

Farris said the resurgence of folks applying for law enforcement positions could be due to the department being more proactive about its messaging. He said it could also be due to the influx of people moving to Putnam County.

“We do have one of the best Sheriff’s Offices not only in the Upper Cumberland but in the country,” Farris said. “So I’m please with that and I contribute that to us having good people there in key places doing a good job that’s just trickling down.”

Farris said there is more work to be done, but they are pleased with the hiring progress so far. The new county jail facility is set to open in May.