East Central Reporter

Shelby County recently faced scrutiny over its handling of provisions in the Counties Code regarding the appointment of deputies and court security officers. The code specifies that each sheriff may appoint deputies not exceeding the number allowed by the county board, and counties with less than 3 million inhabitants may hire necessary court security officers.

A Freedom of Information Act request was sent to Shelby County to determine how many deputies and court security officers were employed as of April 12, 2025. Sheriff Brian McReynolds forwarded this inquiry to Erica Bailey, resulting in a response five days later.

The request sought clarity on whether the county board had set specific numbers for these positions. "The reason I wanted the numbers for deputies and courthouse security is because of the laws applicable for those positions and the County board in those matters," was explained to Sheriff McReynolds.

Sheriff McReynolds acknowledged that this issue should be addressed in a board meeting: “Yes this should be cleaned up by being addressed in Board meeting and the minutes." He mentioned an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from May 3, 2024, stating efforts to maintain twelve road deputies but did not address court security officer numbers.

Despite acknowledging the need for clarification, no agenda items were set for discussion at subsequent county board meetings. The Sheriff reported discussing this with Chairman Mayhall, who felt current processes sufficed but might revisit it during future budget preparations.

Questions remain about whether past MOUs or budgets adequately specify required personnel numbers. As of publication, Chairman Mayhall has not responded to inquiries on this matter.

The situation raises questions about compliance with legal requirements concerning deputy and court security officer appointments across other counties as well.