J

The Coffee County Commission voted during the April 8 meeting to add to the May meeting agenda a vote on the abolishment of the county constable positions.

Sheriff Chad Partin called the constable position an “antiquated” system confined mostly to distressed East Tennessee areas that don’t have as adequate law enforcement resources as Coffee County.

Partin further voiced concern that as elected congressional officials, constables answer to nobody, adding what he said is a liability on the county government.

“They are their own agency – their own boss,” Partin said, citing a County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) report. “They don’t answer to the sheriff; they don’t answer to the police chief. They don’t even answer to the governor.”

Further, Partin referenced a state Attorney General opinion that a lack of oversite creates a liability for the county.

Partin said the training required for commissioned officers is copied and used for constables. He said that the proof of fulfilling the required training is submitted as an “on your honor” ethics form from the state.  

Partin expressed concern about Constable James Sanders Seat 4 – Districts 3, 14 and 16, who said he had helped TDOT with traffic control as part of his duties.

“All of those off duty jobs that you’ve been doing with TDOT and things in a marked patrol car as a district constable in Coffee County is illegal outside the boundaries of Coffee County,” Partin said.

According to state code, “Constables’ duties may be limited to serving civil process or may include peacekeeping duties; the oath of office differs according to the nature of the duties.”

Sanders said that constables perform a valuable service at no cost to the county.

“What we try to do is maintain a 40-hour monthly patrol schedule,” Sanders said. “All of our documentation is controlled by the Tennessee Constable Association.”

According to the association’s Facebook page, that organization “is a non-profit corporation that provides training and resources to help Constables perform their duties and protect their communities.”

According to T.C.A. § 8-10-202, constables must complete 40 hours of in-service course time for each 12-month period during which the constable holds office.

Sanders said that those in-service training hours are not provided by the sheriff department. He said that it would be a convenience if they were provided locally.

Partin said he does not provide the training because he is concerned of the liability for their actions if they were trained by the county department.

Abolishing the positions of constable in Coffee County requires a two-thirds majority vote during two consecutive meetings.