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Sheriff says deputy cards will not be issued
October 12, 2006
Sheriff Anthony Lay said Monday that his administration will not be renewing special deputy cards.
“Since I have taken office, I have had hundreds of people stop by asking for their special deputy cards to be renewed under my signature and authority,” Lay said. “The previous administration has given hundreds of these cards out to citizens of our county, and had 50 to 75 citizens pay a bond with an insurance company located in Oneida under the presumption that paying the bond gave them the right to carry a firearm legally.”
Being “bonded,” Lay said, does not permit citizens to legally carry a handgun.
“Paying the bond at the insurance company only secures that if you steal money from the sheriff’s department, the insurance company will reimburse the county the money.
“Through going to sheriff’s school in Nashville before taking office, CTAS, which advises county government, advised new sheriffs that issuing deputy cards is a big liability to the county,” Lay added. “The post commission in Nashville requires an auxillary or part-time deputy to complete 40 hours of in-service training with the department before they can legally work as a special deputy.”
Lay said that the deputy card does not give even a part-time or auxillary deputy the right to carry a gun except to and from work and while they are on duty. He said that the Scott County Sheriff’s Department’s auxillary program has been discontinued and that no deputy cards will be issued, due to liability issues.
“The only legal way to be able to carry your handgun and be 100 percent in compliance with the law is to apply for and obtain a Tennessee handgun permit,” Lay said.
Lay added that he wished there was a way he could assist citizens with deputy cards, but due to liability issues, cannot.
news@ihoneida.com
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