The primary responsibilities of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office are to secure the jail, secure and work the courts, and serve all criminal and civil warrants in order to keep our community safe. The Support Services Division, commanded by Major Greg Whittaker, includes many of the sections and units which can provide the logistics support vital for agency and community interaction that is so important to a community-oriented philosophy. You will find the Accreditation, Communications (Dispatch), Court Security, K-9, Motors, School Resource Officers, Special Events, SWAT Team, and Training units working under the Support Services umbrella.
Major Greg Whittaker
Support Services
Office: (931)528-8484
Fax: (931)646-1490
gwhittaker@putnamcountytnsheriff.gov
Dispatch
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Communications Bureau is a 24-hour a day command and control center that handles communications between the Sheriff’s Department, the public and the deputies that serve and protect them. Each day, our dispatchers operate a countywide radio communications system as well as handling numerous incoming phone calls. They are tasked with dispatching and coordinating Sheriff’s Office deputies in response to complaints, reports of crime, disturbances, emergencies, and other requests for police assistance.
Reserves
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office utilizes the experience and expertise of a core group of dedicated Reserve Deputies. These volunteer law enforcement officers usually have previously served in the military or in law enforcement. Most are either retired or bi-vocational. All must go through the same application process as regular sworn deputies, including formal written applications, background checks, psychological evaluations, firearms qualifications, and more than 1000 hours of training.
Once approved, each Reserve Deputy is issued a uniform and badge as well as other necessary equipment. In addition to supplementing the patrol force, they also perform duties such as office work, community relations, traffic control, community policing, and issuing warrants and subpoenas.
swat
The mission of the SWAT Team is to provide the department with the capability to safely resolve high-risk situations. Some examples of these types of situations are: Hostage situations, Barricaded suspects, Suicidal subjects, High risk search warrants/raids, High risk arrests, VIP protection details, Counter sniper, and Other situations where armed resistance seems likely.
motor unit
Sheriff Farris is proud to announce that the Sheriff’s Office has its first ever certified motor unit.
The motor unit handles calls and was responsible for regular road patrol as well as handling special events, providing escort for visiting dignitaries, and working in conjunction with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Cookeville Police Department at DUI and traffic enforcement check points. During inclement weather, motor unit deputies drive patrol cars.
According to Sheriff Farris, “The motor unit provides us with a flexible asset that can be deployed in a number of situations where a regular patrol car may not be advantageous. They also increase the visibility of the department throughout the county, giving us greater opportunities to interact with the public we serve.”
