When Sonny Weatherford joined the Sumner County Sheriff’s department as a deputy in 1985, he never dreamed he would be Sheriff one day. But become Sheriff he did, when the County Commission named him interim Sheriff after the death of Bob Barker in August 2010. The citizens of Sumner County gave their approval as they swept Weatherford into the position in the November 2010 election.

Weatherford recently recalled the past year and the accomplishments he and his staff have made. “It’s really gone good,” Weatherford said. “The public and the county commission have been very supportive. My staff of 280 or so employees work well together. I cannot complain about anything.”

 “I’ve been here 27 years andI didn’t realize until I came to the front office just how many different things the Sheriff is responsible for and how much you see,” he said. “I feel like we have accomplished a whole lot this past year.”

One of those accomplishments was establishing the department’s first recycling program. “We are constantly filling up dumpsters,” he noted.“Everything is delivered in cardboard, of course, and we have a kitchen, so we have the large, number 10 cans like they have at the schools that vegetables come in. I realized we are just throwing all this away.”

A trailer was set by the dock and cardboard and tin cans are separated and sold earning between $400 and $600 a month, which is turned back in to the Sumner County general fund. “It’s not a lot, but we were just throwing that money away,” he added.“It also cuts down on our dumpster usage and cost, and it keeps you from filling up landfills so we are trying to do our little part.My job is to oversee the entire budget so I’m trying to save money anywhere we can.”

Another accomplishment Weatherford points to is the purchased of Tasers for all the road officers. “We had 10 Tasers that we were sharing every shift and we would occasionally have one that would go down mechanically,” he said. We purchased a Taser for everyone in uniform, including every deputy, warrant officer, animal control officer, and court officer. It’s not something that you want to use but if you need it, it’s a better option than having to pull out your weapon.”

Another equipment upgrade over the past year was extra computers so each patrol car would equipped with a computer to allow the deputies to run driver’s license or tag numbers without having to go through dispatch operators. “This allows the officers to do their job quicker and shortens the time that someone has to wait if they get pulled over,” Weatherford said. “It also helps relieve some pressure on our dispatchers who are busy with 911 calls and calls from citizens, especially on snow days. They get lots of calls from people wanting to know what roads are closed and other information.

Another improvement that Weatherford takes pride in more training for anyone serving in a supervisor position. “I began checking files and realized that many supervisors had never been to a supervisor school,” he said. “I thought that was a liability since they were not getting proper training. Now, every supervisor goes to supervisor school, which is a middle management class. These are seasoned employees that have been promoted. We are trying to get a higher level of education for our people. It teaches them to think on their own, think outside the box and not having to always ask someone else. It gives them more confidence with their job and better prepares them to be a supervisor.”

Weatherford utilizes the department’s three trainers for in-house sessions and brings in trainers from other law enforcement agencies including the Gallatin and Knoxville Police Departments and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.

A policy change over the past year has fine-tuned how disciplinary actions are handled, giving supervisors more flexibility to handle minor transactions without being mandated to prepare paperwork to submit to superiors. “Lots of times we would write someone up for, what I would consider, minor offences, maybe a first time offence, and, according to policy, they didn’t have a choice,” Weatherford explained.“We now give the front line supervisors a little flexibility to handle that. If he feels it’s really serious, he needs to send it to us. Otherwise, he can handle it himself.”

A grant allowed the department to spend about $12,000 to buy utility belts and accessories, like handcuffs, flashlights and gloves, for the 150 Correction Officers who oversee approximately 700 prisoners at the Sumner County Jail. “The Correction Officers have never been bought utility belts in the past,” he said. “Sometimes they really feel overlooked because you spend a lot of money for the patrol officers. The past year, I’ve upgraded a lot for them”

A major accomplishment over the past year was the establishment of a comprehensive disaster plan. “We’ve had major tornados go within a mile of here. If something like that hit the jail and our offices, what would we do? We didn’t have a true plan, Weatherford said.“We did a study and came up with a documented plan and put together a response team that trains monthly to be prepared. It’s been a good thing. We have 700 people in the jail back there that we are responsible for.

Agreements have been made with the City of Gallatin for a location to temporarily house the prisoners until they could be relocated to other jail facilities. Plans are now in place for the Sumner County school system to utilize their buses to transport prisoners if needed.

Another concern was the possibility of a fire in the jail. “We have six floors in this tower with 700 people, plus our officers,” he said. “If electricity is off, every jail cell door has to be opened manually by a key. People can only stay inside the building so long without being able to breathe so we purchased 10 Self-contained Breathing Apparatuses like what is used by the fire department.

The Gallatin Fire Department trained the response team for proper use. “We are liable for everyone in here and it was a big expense but we had to have them.I felt like that was a good accomplishment,” he added.

Sheriff Weatherford has also learned the art of trading this year, swapping a lot of confiscated guns and rifles for 15 patrol rifles. “I asked Criminal Court Judge Dee Gay to provide a court order to release the weapons,” he explained. “I wouldn’t sell them to just any dealer so I contacted gun dealers that sell only to law enforcement agencies. We traded all those old rifles and shotguns and stuff that weren’t of any real value for 15 patrol rifles, something we could really use if something serious happens. They didn’t cost the county any money.”

An experiment adding four Ford Escape SUVs to the department’s fleet of patrol cars turned into another positive. “I checked the state bid price they were real close to the Chevy Impala we normally get, so I bid them out,” Weatherford said.“They are actually cheaper to operate, they are better on gas by about six miles per gallon than the cars, they are all-wheel drive so we can go wherever we want to in them, and the brakes and tires were cheaper.  To me, it was a win-win situation. We’ve saved money all the way around, so I’m going to purchase 10 this year and put them throughout the fleet.

Weatherford hopes a base salary increase of approximately $2,500 for correction officers will slow down the turnover in that department, which has averaged about 40 employees a year leaving the department to work at other counties that pay more.

Already this year, Sheriff Weatherford has sat down to set the agenda of improvements to make in 2012. “I look for the next three and a half year to be constantly moving forward. If something happens and I’m not re-elected, at least I could walk out of here and now I made a difference. That’s what I want to do. I think this is one of the best Sheriff’s departments in the state of Tennessee but we are always going to strive to be the very best for the citizens.”

by Randy Cline