Sheriff Joel Plummer of the Montgomery County Sheriff Office started the reserve deputy program over thirty years ago. The main goal of the program was to assist with the Patrol Division in conducting their regular duties. With a reserve the Sheriff could allow for two deputies in each patrol car during the weekend nights of Friday and Saturday. This was beneficial as those two nights frequently carried the largest amounts of calls for service.
Over the years the program has evolved tremendously. The original reserve volunteers received a commission by the Sheriff and immediately reported for duty, sometimes that very day. During this period the reserves basically conducted on the job training and did not receive any special instructions, firearm training, or anything related to official law enforcement training prior to their first shift.
What originally started as a unit consisting of ten reserve deputies has grown to over 40 deputies strong. As in the beginning, all are still volunteers.
Reserve deputies are utilized by the Sheriff to assist with patrolling, prisoner extraditions, and serving warrants. The reserves also assist in the courtrooms during high profile cases with guarding juries and providing for extra security.
Motivation to become a reserve deputy varies. Individuals often seek to become a reserve as it may offer a chance to see if law enforcement is indeed a career they would like to pursue. Other reserves are retired military and previous law enforcement with a strong desire to continue public service. However, for all members this organization provides an excellent opportunity to contribute in our community.
Upon successful completion of the initial training the reservist is then commissioned and receives a Police Officer’s Standardized Training (P.O.S.T) certificate. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department is proud to announce that their Reserve Unit is the first in the State of Tennessee to receive P.O.S.T approved certification for their training.
The reserve program is supervised by LT Brian Prentice from Criminal Investigations, and assisted by SGT Jimmy Brown from the Patrol Division.
