Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office swears in deputies, K-9

By Chris Spangler

Six new deputies and one K-9 were sworn into duty with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning.

The sheriff’s office held a ceremony and reception for the new officers and their guests at the Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center.

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge William Hue administered the oath to Deputies Dale Broughton, Abraham Schlueter, Trent Davis, Nicklaus Nandory, Hailey Brodhagen, Dominic Cavadias and K-9 “Butch,” whose handler is Deputy Dylan Agnew.

“Deputies, you’re now in a position of public trust, and these are the most interesting times — at least in my lifetime — in which you’ll be serving,” Judge Hue said. “I know you’ll always keep in mind the great responsibilities inherent in your new positions.

“I also know you will rise to meet the challenges of these times, and we will continue to be as proud of you throughout your careers as we are today,” he added.

Family members then pinned the badges on the deputies’ uniforms.

Chief Deputy Don Hunter congratulated the new deputies and K-9 and welcomed them and their guests.

“To your families and friends that are present, we thank you for sharing your loved ones with us. We promise to take care of them as they now become part of our family,” he said.

Hunter shared that the sheriff’s office is very grateful for all of its deputies, including the new ones sworn in today.

“They have put their faith in us, and we understand the obligations we have to provide them with the opportunities to have a successful and rewarding career with us,” he said. “We are steadfastly dedicated to maintaining a culture that focuses on our most important resources: our people.”

Hunter continued: “We recognize we are unable to carry out the sheriff’s office mission without the many talents of our team members. In order to provide a high level of public safety and care for those who are under our watch, we have team members working around the clock, day in and day out.”

Law enforcement is a career that requires sacrifices, he said, and that means that there will be family celebrations and holidays that will be missed, delayed or rescheduled. 

“This also imparts sacrifices on families and support networks,” the chief deputy noted. “For that, we are forever grateful.”

He said that choosing to pursue a career in law enforcement is not a decision to be made in haste. However, it is truly a noble profession that can be extremely rewarding.

People choose a career in law enforcement for a variety of reasons, Hunter said, sharing what he has heard during interviews.

“We always get answers from candidates who have wanted to be a police officer from a very young age, or those who have other family members or important people in their lives who work in law enforcement,” Hunter said. “But the vast majority of the answers we receive reflect on the desire of candidates to give back to their communities and to protect and help serve their communities.”

He observed that more recently, candidates have said they want to repair the relationship between the police and their community.

“Without taking us down a political rabbit hole, the number of these responses is very sobering. I think that these beliefs, in part, can be attributed to a couple of things,” Hunter said. “First, when law enforcement officers face a critical incident, they are tasked with making critical decisions in a high-stress situation. The decisions they make are then scrutinized by those who have the advantage of not being under high stress. And the instant messaging world we live in then floods the multitude of information outlets, including social media.”

Secondly, the chief deputy said that he is hard-pressed to think of many other professions in which the entire membership is so broadly painted by the actions of an extreme minority.

“The anti-police messages that many of our young adults are being exposed to helps to explain the hardships that law enforcement agencies across the country are having with recruitment and retention,” Hunter said. “I want to assure you that Jefferson County is a very law enforcement-friendly community to be part of. We are blessed to have citizens, businesses and other community partners who give the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office such tremendous support.”

Hunter also mentioned that the sheriff’s office has many opportunities for the new deputies to have a successful and rewarding career.

“We implore you to get involved, look for opportunities, which include being part of our many specialty teams. Help to seek out and bring solutions to processes and procedures that may benefit from improvement. Law enforcement exposes you to sights, sounds and raw emotions that most people will never be aware of. That is simply part of this noble career,” he said.

He added; “Remember to always take care of yourself and your partners; never hesitate to lean on your teammates, members of the sheriff’s office, your families and support networks. We are all there for you. You all represent the future of your sheriff’s office and law enforcement. We wish you nothing but success.”

Sheriff Paul Milbrath also offered remarks, starting by explaining the difference between a sheriff’s office and a police department.

“An office is a right, and a correspondent duty, to exercise public trust,” he said. “A public charge of employment … the most frequent occasions to use the word arise with reference to a duty and power conferred on an individual by the government, and when this is the connection, public office is a usual and more discriminating expression …

“In the constitutional sense, the term implies the authority to exercise some portion of the sovereign power either in making, executing or administration of the law,” he added.

Milbrath explained that the sheriff’s office is not simply another “department” of county government. 

“The internal operation of an office of sheriff is the sole responsibility of the elected sheriff,” he said. “County department heads are subordinate to a county governing body, because a ‘department’ is truly only a division of county government.”

He said that the office of sheriff is a statutory/constitutional office with exclusive powers and authority under state law and or state constitution. These inherent powers are not subject to the dictates of a local county governing body.

Milbrath added that the office of sheriff has inherent common law powers and sovereignty granted under a state’s constitution and/or state law. It is different from a county department, which derives its limited authority from whatever is delegated by statute or by state constitution.

The sheriff emphasized two points from that description: power and public trust.

“As you start your career, you don’t know a whole lot; you’re pretty green, and forty-some years ago, I was just as green,” he said. “You’re going to make mistakes. You’re human. … We all do. When you make that mistake, own it. (Say) ‘I did it.’ When your sergeant asks what happened, don’t make excuses. Tell him the truth: ‘I did it for this reason.’ And you’ll be fine.”

Milbrath said the one thing that is not tolerated is telling a lie.

“We are a family here. … This family will surround you and be there for you each and every day,” the sheriff said, adding, “So I tell you, do a good job, take your oath seriously and always tell the truth …”

He cautioned that there undoubtedly will be days the deputies will ask themselves “why am I doing this?”

“But the rewards are great. And this community loves its law enforcement,” he concluded.

Also during the ceremony, the honor guard posted the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Cake and coffee were served afterward.