Watauga Democrat
Jan 18, 2011

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Watauga County sheriff's office gains four officers

Published: 10:03 AM, 01/11/2011
Last updated: 10:03 AM, 01/11/2011

By: Kellen Moore
The Watauga County Sheriff's Office is fully staffed for the first time in more than a year with the recent addition of four new officers.
Adding to the shake-up, several other officers were promoted or moved to different sectors of the office.
"We're back up to full strength now," Sheriff Len Hagaman said Wednesday.
Three new deputies will be added to patrol, while the fourth will fill a position as a domestic violence officer.
On patrol, Hagaman has added Carl Hicks, an officer who comes to the sheriff's office with several years of experience in the Seven Devils Public Safety Department, as well as Casey Miller and Chad Greene, new graduates of Basic Law Enforcement Training.
Officer Seth Morrison will also join the department as a domestic violence investigator.
All of the new additions are locals, and the Watauga County Sheriff's Office sponsored Miller, Greene and Morrison in BLET classes, Hagaman said.
Each of the new recruits will undergo an expected 12 weeks of field training, and Morrison will also receive specialized training in dealing with domestic violence, Hagaman said.
After the training period, the officers will receive evaluations and peer reviews of their performance.
"If they're good to go, then they're put out on their own," Hagaman said.
A slew of other changes also has occurred  in the WSO:
Officer Aaron Lincoln has transferred from investigations to an administrative position in the front office.
In addition to routine administrative work, Lincoln will be able to do several things as an officer that a civilian couldn't do, such as serving warrants, Hagaman said.
His duties will also include sex offender registrations and gun permits.
His armed presence at the entrance of the sheriff's office will also provide more security, Hagaman added.
Lucas Smith, previously a domestic violence officer, will take Lincoln's place in investigations.
Richard Ward, the county's second domestic violence officer whose position was grant-funded, will move into Smith's position, which is covered by the county. Morrison will then take Ward's former grant-funded position, which is set to expire in about 10 months, Hagaman said, adding that he expected the county would also provide for that position after the grant ends.
Sgt. Brian Bumgarner also became Lt. Brian Bumgarner, and Todd Lyons, Andrew Absher and Brandon Greer were each promoted to sergeant positions.
Hagaman said that these position changes came at no additional cost to the county, because they were in the budget from the beginning.
He said he even expected to be able to return money that was saved while the positions were unfilled.
With the new additions, the Watauga County Sheriff's Office now employs 85 people, including 10 telecommunicators, 27 jailers and one civilian administrative position, according to Deputy County Manager Deron Geouque.

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