Interested in becoming a Reserve officer?
History
The Reserve Division began in 1965 through the vision of former Shelby County Sheriff William N Morris, Jr. Since then, hundreds of citizens have been a part of the Reserve Deputy Program. Reserve Deputies have played a huge role in assisting the Sheriff’s Office with supplemental manpower. Hundreds of Reserve Deputies have moved on to full-time careers in Law Enforcement rather with the Sheriff’s Office, Local Police Departments, or Federal Agencies. Individuals not interested in a full time career law enforcement have become career Reserve Deputy Sheriff. Currently, Reserve Division has Reserve Deputy Sheriff’s with thirty-two years with the Sheriff’s Office.
Who We Are
The Reserve Division currently comprised of 100 sworn reserve deputies, and a dedicated career staff support unit. The division is under the command of an Assistant Chief Deputy.
Reserve Deputy Sheriffs are fully sworn police officers, who are state-certifiable peace officers by TN POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training). Reserve deputies independently perform the same sheriff duties as full-time career sheriff deputies, on volunteer basis.
Reserve deputies work alongside the 700 career deputies of the Sheriff’s Office, and they serve the 1 million citizens of Shelby County. Reserve deputies donate tens of thousands of hours each year, which have a value of several millions of dollars.
Our reserve deputies come from many professional backgrounds, and they include business owners, bankers, commercial pilots, firefighters, attorneys, stockbrokers, salespersons, real estate brokers, members of the military, and many other professions.
What We Do
After graduating from the deputy sheriff academy and completing the field training program in Uniform Patrol, reserve deputies then work independently, as a solo-capable deputy sheriff, in uniform patrol. They wear the same uniform, drive the same sheriff vehicles, respond to the same calls for service and exercise the same authority as career sheriff deputies.
After gaining sufficient uniform police officer experience, reserve deputies then have the opportunity to work in many specialty assignments such as Traffic, DUI, Fugitive, Urban Park Patrol, Special Events Unit, Special Response Unit, and Firearms Training Unit.
In addition to working in both uniform patrol and specialty assignments, reserve deputies participate in special enforcement and community engagement events, including major events and community charitable events. Reserve deputies are an integral component of the Sheriff’s Office community policing plan.
Qualifications
Because reserve deputies perform the same exact duties as career officers, reserve recruits meet the same standards as career sheriff deputies.
- Be at least 20.5 years of age at the time of application; 21 years of age prior to completion of the Academy.
- Be a United States citizen.
- Be in sound physical and mental health.
- Must meet TN P.O.S.T. and Shelby County drug standards.
- No history of criminal or improper conduct.
- No commission or conviction of a felony. Misdemeanor arrests are discretionary.
- Must have good moral character and personal integrity.
- No poor employment or irresponsible financial history.
- Must have a high school diploma or GED equivalency.
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