Detention officers win top awards from Tennessee Corrections Institute
Two Rutherford County Sheriff’s Adult Detention Center deputies earned top honors at the annual Tennessee Corrections Institute conference last week.
Sgt. Adam Sowden received the State Corrections Officer of the Year award and Field Training Officer John Elliott received the Middle Tennessee Correction Officer of the Year award.
The awards were presented during TCI’s Jail Issues and FTO Annual Conference.
Sowden completed his bachelor’s degree at MTSU in December and is working on his master’s degree. He supports education and development of correctional officers at the Adult Detention Center.
He wrote an article titled, “Leadership Is Not a Skill to be Mastered” for the “Corrections One magazine.
He was the first corrections officer at the Sheriff’s Office to earn the “Certified Jail Supervisor” designation from the American Jail Association. At the time, he was one of only 47 officers who reached the designation.
Sowden helped implement a second-shift culture to improve behavior, core values and a mission statement adopted by the staff.
FTO Elliott, who works in booking, searches inmates who are being processed into the jail.
Elliott removed a loaded firearm from a new inmate being processed that was not found by the arresting officer.
He recovered from new inmates being admitted to the jail illegal drugs including powder and crack cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Ketamine, Suboxone and psychedelic mushrooms, Oxycodone and other drug paraphernalia in 42 incidents.
Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said, “I am very proud of these two individuals and their accomplishments as they represent the men and women of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. They represent the professionalism and pride that all of our deputies have in representing the citizens of Rutherford County.”
Jail Administrator Kevin Henderson said Sowden is dedicated to his job.
“He wants to be the best,” Henderson said. “He leads by example.”
Henderson said he was proud of Elliott.
“He may have saved lives inside the facility,” Henderson said. “There was the potential of an overdose with the drugs and the potential of someone being shot.”
