Proposal to Eliminate Greene County Constables Rejected

Share and Follow

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The attempt to eliminate the position of constables in Greene County has been unsuccessful.

During Monday night’s meeting, the Greene County Commission was unable to secure the necessary two-thirds majority for a resolution aimed at abolishing the constable role, as it faced its second reading.

A related measure had previously succeeded in its initial reading during the commission’s October session.

A similar initiative encountered the same fate last year, failing to advance past the second reading.

Commissioner Lloyd Bower said Greene County already has professionally trained officers and there is no need for constables.

“It’s time for us to honor what our sheriff and our law enforcement people are asking us to do because they have to work with them and assist them (constables) when they could be doing something else,” Bower said. “We’ve got professionally trained officers that we maintain and when they tell me they don’t need constables any longer, I’m going to believe I’ve got faith in our officers.”

Commissioner Chase Murray argued against getting rid of constables, saying that while constables are unable to be POST-certified under the sheriff’s office, they are “required to complete 128 hours in training within their first year and a minimum of 40 hours in post-commission training required by the State of Tennessee.”

“They take the same training as the officers,” Murray said.

Sheriff Wesley Holt was called to stand to inform the public on training requirements at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with constable training.

“Through the years, we have in-service training but this year, we’ll have firearms and different things that the State of Tennessee requires us to have,” Holt said. “All those are state-mandated classes by the POST Commission. The constables are not under the police commission. They can get the POST-certified training but they are not post-certified officers.”

One of the three Greene County constables in attendance, Freddie Sams, told News Channel 11 that he understands the issue is training and wants to instill more training with the constables.

“I understand the biggest issue is training and I agree we need training,” Sams said. “I think it’s important for East Tennessee constables and we need to work together to get the proper training that meets the requirements by the State of Tennessee.”