Bedford County has passed an ordinance formally permitting sheriff’s deputies to take on private employment, such as event security, traffic direction, and site patrols, while retaining their law enforcement powers, WSLS 10 reported. The measure, approved by county officials, sets out an application and approval process, defines which types of jobs are permitted, and requires deputies to file reports with the sheriff’s office after each off-duty shift.
Employers who hire deputies under the ordinance must meet insurance or indemnification requirements. Deputies remain answerable to the sheriff’s office even while working for a private party.
A Policy Built Around Existing Practice
None of this is new. Chief Deputy Jon Wilks told WSLS 10 that off-duty security work is already common in the department. He said deputies have been doing it throughout his 26 years with the office, and that nearly all law enforcement agencies operate similarly. The ordinance, in his view, exists primarily to extend proper coverage to deputies during those assignments, not to create a new program.
Wilks described the financial upside as straightforward: it puts additional income in deputies’ pockets beyond their regular paychecks. He also pointed to practical community demand, noting that county fairs and a range of fall events regularly require security staffing.
Who Pays When Something Goes Wrong
The ordinance leaves at least one significant question unresolved. When a deputy exercises law enforcement authority during a private assignment and an incident occurs, accountability is not yet clearly defined. According to WSLS 10, county attorneys and the sheriff’s office are still working out how complaints and investigations would be handled in those situations…