Federal mandates require hiring a coordinator to investigate allegations of sexual assaults for inmates when a county houses more than 1,000 adult and youth inmates, said Sheriff Robert Arnold.
County Commissioners funded the new fulltime coordinator this budget year under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act for the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, and the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center, Sheriff Arnold promoted School Resource Officer Bobby Farley to the rank of sergeant as PREA coordinator.
Sgt. Farley said he will investigate any crime in the jail, including the allegations of sexual assaults.
Duties of the PREA coordinator include:
* Developing written policies that follow correctional best practices and meet the intent of the PREA standards.
* Developing and implementing a training plan that fulfills the PREA training standards.
* Monitoring inmate screening procedures, investigations, and medical and mental health care treatment according to the PREA standards.
* Supervising the agency’s data collection efforts.
* Providing appropriate access and materials to auditors.
Sgt. Farley will report to the Jail Administrator and should provide routine updates including areas of responsibility, progress reports on policy and compliance and notice of any problems or challenges that need to be addressed.
People who are aware of any crimes involving inmates may contact Sgt. Farley on the 24-hour hotline number 615-809-8909 to file a complaint.
Sgt. Farley joined the Sheriff’s Office as a detention deputy Feb. 22, 1999. He was promoted as a patrol deputy, a Narcotics Division detective and school resource officer at Oakland High School . He has received national awards for gang investigations. He is a 1997 graduate of Riverdale High School.
