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Sheriff seeks detective reclassification, funds K9 equipment and a transport van grant
Summary
The Hamblen County Sheriff proposed reclassifying the sex-offender-registry clerk into a detective position to handle registry and school cases, and Deputy Paul Presley secured approval for $7,114.89 in initial K9 equipment funding; the commission also approved applying for a federally provided transport van available at no local match.
Sheriff Mullins told commissioners that Jodie Ingram, the sex-offender-registry clerk and long-time county bookkeeper, resigned and that the sheriff's office proposes reclassifying the role into a detective position that would retain registry duties while handling growing school-related caseloads.
The reclassification is not a new headcount but a position change; finance staff estimated the increase at $3,500 for the remainder of the current year and approximately $7,000 for the next year to cover the higher detective pay step, with total annual compensation for the position cited around $53,000. Commissioners supported the change, noting the detective could perform home checks and reduce the need to pull patrol officers off the road for registry duties. The commission voted to approve the position reclassification.
Separately, Deputy Paul Presley proposed placing an explosive-detection K9 (Grim) in county service and asked the commission to fund vehicle outfitting and baseline equipment. Presley, who said he has trained the dog and that Grim is certified in explosive detection, presented itemized costs including an Elite K9 transport cage ($3,899.90), an ACE K9 heat alarm ($1,114.99) and an annual certification ($100), a baseline equipment total of $5,114.89. Presley characterized ongoing training and certification needs and recommended funding around $7,114.89 to include additional training aids; commissioners discussed liability, training hours required by state law and possible use of opioid or fund-balance dollars. A motion to allocate the equipment funding carried.
Sheriff Mullins also recommended the county apply for a non-matching federal transport-van grant (est. $80,000–$100,000) tied to a detainee-transport program that would fund overtime for certain transports; the county would retain the van after award. Commissioners approved seeking the grant and discussed using fund balance or budget amendment to cover any upfront local needs.
Why it matters: The personnel reclassification and K9 funding change the sheriff's operational capacity, shift registry workload, and add an on-call explosive-detection capability for schools and county facilities. The transport van grant provides a significant asset at no local match but ties the county to program conditions regarding detainee transports.
