Sheriff takes over county patrol units

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
April 2, 2003
The Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department completed taking control of the county patrol units on Tuesday.
The five patrolman positions, equipment and budgets one for each supervisor district began being transferred to the sheriff's office in February after county supervisors voted 3-2 to eliminate the system.
Maj. Ward Calhoun of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department said two patrolmen agreed to serve as sheriff's deputies. He said the department will fill the other three slots with new employees.
As far as equipment, he said, two of the five vehicles the department received from the county patrol can still be used. The three remaining patrol cars have more than 200,000 miles on them.
He also said one county patrol car had a cage in the back, but it didn't meet sheriff's department standards. He said the department is using some car lights, sirens and radios the patrolmen used.
The budget for the five county patrolmen totaled about $203,000 for the current fiscal year. Any unspent money from that budget also transferred to the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department.
Hubert Rivers, the District 1 county patrolman, is staying on with the sheriff's department as a deputy assigned to the courthouse where he will work as a bailiff and provide security.
Harold Null, the District 3 patrolman, also is working for the sheriff's department and will continue in his assignment with animal control. Null is on medical leave because he was injured in an off-duty accident.
Ronald Brooks, the District 2 patrolman, did not reply to an offer from the sheriff's department. County patrol positions for Districts 4 and 5 were vacant when supervisors voted to turn the system over to the sheriff.