A veteran sergeant made history Wednesday when she became the first black woman promoted to lieutenant at Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, said Sheriff Robert Arnold.

Lt. Tara Corder will supervise the second shift at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center . She is the highest ranking black woman supervisor in the Sheriffs Office history.

“She is a very competent and qualified officer who goes above and beyond the call of duty,” Sheriff Arnold said. “She takes pride in her job and tries to instill those qualities in other people. She is an asset to the Sheriff’s Office.”

An executive board interviewed several candidates for lieutenant and recommended Sgt. Corder. Sheriff Arnold agreed with the recommendation and promoted her.

As a classification sergeant, she determined the proper housing of the inmate and recommended transfers to the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center .

Detention Center Commander Tommy Thompson described Lt. Corder as “highly qualified. She has done a good job networking with other agencies in classification, including the state of Tennessee and the Correctional Work Center . She will be an outstanding manager.”

Previous Lt. Chris Beach transferred to the Civil Warrants Division.

Lt. Corder joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1998. She previously supervised employees in the Booking Division as corporal and sergeant before becoming the classification sergeant.

“I’m ecstatic,” Lt. Corder said. “I’m looking forward to the new challenge with the great team on second shift.”

She is a graduate of Union City High School and Dyersburg State . She attended MTSU and is scheduled to finish her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice next year at Penn Foster University .

Source: 

Lisa Marchesoni - Public information officer, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office