Reserve deputies provide manpower where needed
RUSSELLVILLE — A group of volunteers dedicating their time to help local law enforcement is playing crucial roles ranging from courthouse security to patrol support.
Known as reserve deputies, the units fill different roles for sheriff’s offices across the area, including in Franklin, Colbert and Lauderdale counties.
Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said reserve programs can help younger volunteers decide whether law enforcement is the career they want to pursue. He said he knows firsthand because he began his own career as a reserve deputy in Franklin County after high school.
Oliver said he worked another job while volunteering as a reserve deputy and later worked in the jail before eventually being hired full time when a position became available.
Oliver said reserve deputies assist the department in a variety of ways, including riding with deputies, helping during special events, assisting during power outages, and occasionally volunteering to work in the jail.
Oliver said reserve deputies are a major help to the department because they provide extra manpower for deputies, especially those working alone at night.
“They’re a tremendous help,” Oliver said.
The reserve unit in Franklin County includes volunteers from a variety of backgrounds and age groups, although Oliver said many members are between 25 and 45 years old. He said some reserve deputies are very active while others volunteer when their work schedules allow.
Oliver said reserve deputies without previous law enforcement experience complete six to eight weeks of in-house training before beginning work. Throughout the year, they also receive additional training, including CPR and Taser certification.
Oliver said several current deputies and jail staff members first served in the reserve program before later being hired full time.
“We really like to do that because they’ve been there, they know how things work,” Oliver said.
He said the department also uses donations and fundraisers to help purchase uniforms and equipment for reserve deputies, although some volunteers still provide part of their own gear.
The Franklin County reserve unit is overseen by Sgt. Kyle Palmer.
Like Oliver, Palmer got his start in law enforcement through a reserve unit, although not in Franklin County. Palmer said that played an integral role in his decision to go into law enforcement.
There are currently 23 deputies in the reserve unit. Palmer said those deputies are required to serve 12 volunteer hours a month.
According to Palmer, one of the biggest ways the reserve unit helps the department is during jail sweeps. There are currently 109 inmates in jail. Palmer said when you conduct a jail sweep, you must search every cell at the same time, or else word will spread and inmates may hide prohibited items.
“You can imagine how hard it would be to do that without [the reserve unit],” he said.
Heath Boyles said he first became interested in the reserve unit after joining the county jail about five years ago and learning more about law enforcement from inside the system. Before that, he worked as a technician for Hyundai.
Boyles said the change came during the COVID19 pandemic, when he was looking for more stable work. He moved into the jail after initially trying to get a deputy’s job. From there, he was encouraged to join the reserve unit to gain more experience while continuing his full-time job.
He said working as a reserve deputy has given him a closer look at dayto- day policing and a chance to learn directly from full-time deputies. Boyles said it has also helped him build relationships across the department and better understand the work involved in keeping the county safe.
“It’s a front row seat to the best action in the world,” Boyles said.
