The Balanced State of Your Sheriffs Office

By Sheriff Frank Reynolds

As of October 1, the Cherokee Sheriffs Office (CSO) has concluded its fiscal year, and Im happy to report that we are under budget once again.

Budget
The Sheriffs Office participates in an annual budget process similar to county-managed departments. However, the sheriff is a constitutional officer and is not considered a department of county government. The sheriff submits an annual budget proposal to the Board of Commissioners (BOC), which is either approved, denied, or amended.  

The CSO 2018 annual budget was set at $36,373,674.00 and is expected to be under budget by nearly $300,000.00 once all purchase orders have been finalized.

• Salaries and benefits - $29,302,144.00    438 employees
• Operations - $6,070,630.00    
• Jail operations, maintenance, equipment Allocated costs - $1,782,661.00 - Utilities, telephones, pest control, etc.

Jail Expansion
In November 2017, the citizens of Cherokee County approved a renewal of a penny special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST), which included funding for an expansion of the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center (ADC). The current jail is nearing maximum daily capacity with an average of 650 inmates. These include individuals waiting for trial, inmates serving a sentence of less than twelve months, and probation revocations.  

The jail expansion project is currently in the architectural and construction design phase. It is expected the addition will house an additional 600 beds to include updating the medical unit, laundry services, and food preparation. The entire project is budgeted at $40 million.

Hiring
The CSO has been able to fill 57 civilian and deputy positions in 2018. We expect to hire a total of seventy employees by the end of the year. These positions were made available through employee retirement, a strong private sector market, and as preparation for the jail expansion.  

Our hiring success is the result of building a very positive relationship with our employees (team). Although we have created a full-time recruiter position, our team actively recruits people seeking to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Additionally, law enforcement professionals from other agencies are coming to the CSO team for our competitive salaries and benefits, opportunities for advancement, and state-of-the-art training.   

Training and Education
One of our greatest strengths at the CSO is our advanced training and education opportunities. The state of Georgia requires all certified peace officers to attend twenty hours of annual training. This includes mandatory training on de-escalation of force, firearms qualification, and reviewing state and federal law regarding the use of deadly force. However, the CSO requires all deputies to receive a minimum of forty hours, twice that of the state mandate. Most CSO deputies receive an average of 100 more hours of annual training.

Supervisors are required to attend a 400-hour professional supervision and management program hosted by Columbus State University.  

We have also partnered with Reinhardt University to create scholarship opportunities for deputies to attend the basic police academy with the goal to assist them to obtain their bachelor and masters degrees. The CSO currently has a dozen employees enrolled in Reinhardt Universitys bachelor and masters programs.