Dr. James R. Metts, Sheriff Lexington County South Carolina

    During his 31 years of service as sheriff, James R. Metts never has operated the Sheriff's Department with a budget deficit. He pledges to citizens that he never will allow the agency to spend more money than is appropriated by Lexington County Council. For many years, the Sheriff's Department has not spent all of the money that County Council appropriated for law enforcement operations.

    County Council has agreed to permit the Sheriff's Department to carry forward $363,821 in appropriated revenue that the agency did not spend in fiscal year 2002-2003. That money has been placed in a contigency fund for Sheriff's Department capital expenditures.

    In October 2002, County Council also agreed to permit the Sheriff’s Department to carry forward $350,000 in appropriated revenue that the agency did not spend in fiscal year 2001-2002. County Council took the action to recognize the agency’s efficient management of its budget.

    Metts said he appreciated County Council’s recognition of the policies and procedures that he has implemented to effectively manage the budget of a large, professional law enforcement agency in a fast-growing county. While this shows the Sheriff’s Department has been accountable to citizens in its expenditures of tax dollars, the agency also has worked to improve deputies’ response times.

    “I am pleased Lexington County Council has taken this action and publicly acknowledged the efficient management of our agency,” Metts said. “It’s teamwork. With the guidance of County Council, we’ve tried to be a good steward of the public’s tax dollars.”

    As many as 26 reserve deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department volunteered their time and worked a total of more than 13,000 hours in 2007 with the Sheriff’s Department, saving taxpayers nearly $200,000.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said the 26 reserve deputies who currently work with the Sheriff’s Department enhance law enforcement services in Lexington County. In 2007, reserve deputies worked a total of 13,180 hours with the Sheriff’s Department, saving taxpayers $196,910 based on the hourly starting pay of $14.94 for a full-time, paid deputy.

Reserve deputies, who must complete training that is similar to the training provided to full-time, paid deputies, worked a total of 888 patrol shifts in 2007 and answered a total of 5,492 calls for help from citizens in Lexington County, Metts said. In 2007, reserve deputies wrote a total of 1,390 incident reports and issued a total of 346 tickets and 587 warning citations.

In 2007, reserve deputies arrested a total of 405 persons, Metts said. The reserve officers also served a total of 260 arrest warrants and bench warrants.

Reserve deputies worked a total of 353 shifts at special events in 2007, Metts said. That spared the Sheriff’s Department from assigning full-time, paid deputies to work a total of 1,910 hours at such events.

Since the Sheriff’s Department began a reserve deputy program in 1980, the agency has placed additional officers on road patrol at little cost to taxpayers, Metts said. The sheriff led the effort to persuade the South Carolina General Assembly to enact legislation that would permit citizens to serve as reserve law enforcement officers. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was the first law enforcement agency in South Carolina to start a reserve officer program.

Reserve deputies represent a significant asset for the Sheriff’s Department, Metts said. They supplement the number of full-time, sworn officers who are assigned to road patrol. Reserve deputies also help handle dignitary details and assist with traffic control and crowd control at festivals and parades.

In order to be sworn in as law enforcement officers, reserve deputies must complete 202 hours of training that is required by South Carolina law and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department policy, Metts said. Reserve deputies must complete training that is comparable to the training that the Sheriff’s Department provides to full-time, sworn officers.

During their first year of service, reserve deputies must complete field training and patrol with a full-time, sworn officer, Metts said. Reserve officers must receive approval from the sheriff before they can patrol on their own. Reserve deputies who are allowed to work on their own must maintain radio contact with and report to a shift supervisor who is a sworn officer.