Sheriff warns of scammers impersonating deputies; council discusses county outreach

Sheriff Scott Phillips told the council on May 7 that his office handles court‑directed process (subpoenas, civil suits and evictions) but does not have authority to postpone eviction actions except as ordered by the courts. He warned that an increase in scams had the department fielding calls from residents who had been asked to pay fines or provide Social Security and credit‑card information by people impersonating deputies and police.

"Our deputies do not ask for any of this personal information. We don't ask people to pay fines. All we do is serve documents at the direction of the courts," Phillips said, urging residents who receive suspicious calls to contact the sheriff's office to verify authenticity.

Council members asked whether county resources could be used to educate residents; Phillips said he had consulted Attorney General Kathy Jennings and recommended putting scam‑awareness flyers into county mailings (property tax bills or other routine mailings) to reach all residents. Councilman Street and others urged stronger preventive steps and suggested coordinating with the county law department and the administration to escalate outreach.

Phillips also described operational pressures in his office: a staff of 21 and only seven deputies available to serve countywide process, and a decrease in sheriff sales (from about 120 pre‑COVID to roughly 10 per month) that has constrained revenue. He said his office had recently raised fees and did not plan additional fee increases at this time.

The council did not adopt a formal outreach plan at the hearing but signaled interest in working with the sheriff and administration on a mail‑based education effort.