By Adam Wallworth
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three-fourths of sheriffs’ offices in the state could not function without part-time or unpaid reserve deputies, said the head of the state sheriffs’ association.
As a general rule sheriffs’ offices are covering about 700 square miles with only a small number of deputies, said Chuck Lange, executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association. Faulkner County, which at times has only two certified officers patrolling its 664 square miles, is an example of a common thread in the history of law enforcement, he said.
“It goes back to the Texas Ranger days,” Lange said. “One ride, one ranger.” The state Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training Regulations defines four classifications for law enforcement officers: full-time, part-time I, part-time II and auxiliary law enforcement officers, according to information provided by Lange’s office.
Covered by the fourth category are reserve officers, on which counties like Carroll rely.
Carroll County Sheriff Bob Grudek has 11 full-time deputies to cover 630 square miles.
“Based on our population we should have 52 deputies,” said Grudek, referring to the recommendations of a national study conducted by the FBI on law enforcement needs.
“If you take out Green Forest, Berryville and Eureka Springs it should be in the low 30s. So the only thing we can do is have reserves,” he said.
Grudek said his office doesn’t have the money to hire the recommended amount of full-time officers, nor is there enough cash in the budget to purchase all of the equipment needed by the reserves.
In Carroll County reserve officers must purchase their own guns, uniforms and leather belts, Grudek said. While the office can purchase equipment for the reserves when the budget allows, he said, they cannot be paid.
Reserve officers have 40 hours of training before they can be put to work and must work under the direction of a full-time officer, Grudek said. Reserves don’t have to be in the same car with a full-time deputy but must be in contact with one.
Grudek said reserves serve in various capacities, such as guarding crime scenes and providing additional security to public places. They also reduce response times by taking calls while full-time deputies are on other calls.
Providing around-the-clock protection to the county with 11 deputies means there are times when only one full-time officer is working, Grudek said. If only one officer is on duty, that means it could take an hour to get to a call across the county.
Even when more officers are on duty, Grudek said, help isn’t close by when it may be needed. Reserves live throughout the county, which means they can come to the aid of an officer rather quickly.
Being there for an officer in need is what motivated Jack Deaton to become a reserve deputy.
“It can be very scary,” said Deaton, a lieutenant with the office and former Glenville, Okla., police officer.
Deaton said as a police officer who worked for a department where backup “was a long ways away,” he knows what it’s like facing a carload of people who start reaching under the seat.
“It made the hair stand up on the back of your head,” he said.
Deaton said domestic violence calls are a prime example of how a situation can quickly deteriorate. He said an officer may come to the aid of a person, only to be attacked because the person doesn’t want a spouse hurt.
“It can turn totally uncontrollable in the blink of an eye,” he said.
Deaton said there also are situations where the number of officers means the difference between violence and resolution. In some cases suspects will fight if they think they have the upper hand, he said.
“There’s some pretty big people out there that’s got some pretty bad tempers,” Deaton said. “One of my jobs as a reserve deputy is making sure that the full-time deputy gets to go home to his family every night.” Like other reserve officers, Deaton has a full-time job. He runs the Holiday Island Fire Department and emergency medical service. Being a reserve deputy sometimes comes in handy in that role, he said.
At domestic calls where emergency medical technicians are requested, the EMTs have to wait for law enforcement so all can be at the scene at once. In that case, Deaton - or one of his three Holiday Island personnel also trained as reserve deputies - can “step back and switch hats.”
ALWAYS NEEDED
Sheriffs in more populous counties have plenty of uses for additional deputies as well.
Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson said his office benefits from maintaining a group of parttime II officers.
Ferguson said that while parttime II officers do get paid, at $1 a month, pre-tax, “it’s a volunteer program.” Part-time II officers have to go through a 160-hour training program and perform all of the duties of law enforcement officers, Ferguson said. The part-time officers have to complete all the same training and evaluations of fulltime officers, he said, and meet minimum hour requirements to stay certified.
It costs the county $3,000-$4,000 to train and equip a part-time deputy, Ferguson said. Among other things, part-time officers help run compliance checks on registered sex offenders and patrol Beaver Lake, he said.
Many have gone on to become full-time deputies, Ferguson said. Without part-time officers, he said, patrol and other departments would be stretched thin, yet there are drawbacks to having them.
“It’s an asset, and sometimes it’s a pain,” he said.
Ferguson said because the part-time deputies have regular jobs they sometimes aren’t available when he needs them, which is understandable. Still, when it’s serious enough, employers tend to be understanding and let them answer the call.
Over the years, some part-time deputies who haven’t lived up to the responsibility have been fired, Ferguson said, while others have done better than full-time officers.
Ferguson said one of the best DWI officers he has ever had started as a part-time deputy and now is full time.
Pulaski County is also among those that benefit from reserve deputies, said spokesman John Rehrauer.
Rehrauer said the office has between 75 and 100 full-time deputies, yet has reserve officers working in various departments, including investigations. He said some reserve deputies have retired from other law enforcement agencies and have specialized expertise, such as the case of a retired Internal Revenue Service investigator who’s “very, very good at tracing the money.” “He’s absolutely invaluable to us,” Rehrauer said.
Rehrauer said some reserve deputies enjoy working community events, while others prefer to ride along on patrol.
“I’m telling you, the guys that they ride along with love to have them with them,” he said. “It’s just a win-win.”
Copyright 2009 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette