Training
The Sheriff’s Office exceeds the amount of basic training hours mandated by the State of Tennessee. Our recruits spend nearly 6 months learning the core principles of law enforcement. Because the use of deadly force is the most critical decision a deputy may have to make, recruits receive 4 times the state requirements in firearms training. Our training continues throughout the career of each deputy.
Deputies receive annual training on how to defuse volatile situations. We are committed to increasing the amount of time spent teaching deputies techniques on how to calm a situation involving our diverse communities.
SCSO firearms instructors spend a considerable amount of time training deputies on the use of deadly force. This training consists of numerous “shoot/don’t shoot” scenarios and is supported by lectures on policies and procedures, along with state law.
Deputies are trained on the guidelines on how much force may be used on a resisting subject in a given situation. We train our deputies, when possible, to start at the lowest level (verbal commands) to gain cooperative control.