Press Release from Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh on his plan to run for re-election for the Rutherford County Sheriff:
The Boy Scout’s founding rule is try and leave the world a little better than you found it, and that is the vision Fitzhugh had for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s office when the Rutherford County Commission appointed him as sheriff in 2017 and when he ran for election the following year.
“We wanted to make the agency one that others would look up to and model for law enforcement and corrections,” Fitzhugh said. “We’ve implemented a number of improvements, and I would like the opportunity to continue to move forward with the progress we’ve made.
Press Release from Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh
Highlights of improvements include:
• Earned recertification of the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center five times in five years with no defections.
• Earned certification and recertification of the Property and Evidence Unit by the International Association of Property and Evidence.
• Modernized the Records and Jail Management mechanized systems, including upgrading the computer dispatch system, jail managementsystem, records management system, drone units, and camera systems in vehicles and the Detention Center and converting over to cloud storage for faster download.
• Implemented comprehensive energy and water conservation measurements in the adult detention center, including water shutoff controls, LED lighting, a modernized laundry facility, and a new energy efficient roof, resulting in 30 percent savings in utility bills.
• Created environment of transparency and fiscal responsibility with strict adherence to state and county purchasing and procurement requirements for food service uniforms, law enforcement equipment, inmate medical practices, and building improvements.
• Implemented facility improvements and enhanced security by creating a secured information center, fencing and securing the impound area, clearing old and outdated equipment through county assets, and replacing obsolete phone system by utilizing government grants.
• Initiated a fleet leasing program, enabling the department to acquire more patrol units each year, while reducing maintenance costs and operating safer and more efficient vehicles; 30 cars for one fiscal year are leased at $475,000 versus buying the same 30 cars for $1.95 million.
Press Release from Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh
“We always look at our budget and work on it every year to stay true and don’t embellish our needs. Each year, we have spent money only on what we need,” Fitzhugh said.
Fitzhugh has worked for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s office for 24 years, initially overseeing patrol, communications, criminal and civil warrants, and records and later serving as sheriff. Prior to his law enforcement service, he was a member of BellSouth’s management team for 25 years.
In addition to fiscal and physical improvements, Fitzhugh has restructured the department to prioritize core services, reduce management layers, and aligned job classifications to improve the working environment for the department’s employees whom he calls “the heart and soul of the office.”
“I want to continue to create and keep an environment where people enjoy coming to work and maintain the high level of service to the people of the community whom we serve,’ Fitzhugh said.
“That’s my boss, the people of the community. That’s who put me in office and for whom I want to continue to work,” he concluded.
Fitzhugh is a member of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, a Board of Control member of the Tennessee Corrections Institute, Board Chairman of the Rutherford County 911 Emergency Communications District, and past board member of the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon County. He is a graduate of Murfreesboro Central High School and Middle Tennessee State University.
Fitzhugh is the son of the late Anne and Steve Fitzhugh. He and his wife, Janice, have 6 children and 16 grandchildren. The Fitzhughs are members of the First Baptist Church.
