Message From The Sheriff

The citizens of Rhea County are our primary concern.  Their well-being and safety must be the essence of our focus.  It is therefore, the mission of the Rhea County Sheriff's Department to enhance the quality of life of the citizens by reducing both crime and the fear of crime throughout Rhea County.

It is the objective of the Rhea County Sheriff's Department to provide an optimum level of service to the citizens of our county.  It is furthermore, the responsibility of this office to reach beyond the typically reactive law enforcement role of protect and serve, by being a proactive law enforcement, and become coactive with the citizens of Rhea County.

In this role, we, as members of the members of the Sheriff's Department, will improve the quality of life for the citizens of Rhea County.

We seek to reduce not only crime itself but the fear of crime.  We seek to fortify the public trust from which our authority is derived.  We seek to be more accountable by allowing more accountable by allowing more public input into the ways in which our services are planned and provided.  We seek to be more resourceful, imaginative, and aggressive in our approach to crime.  By doing so, we encourage the public to become an involved partner.

As a public service agency, we will streamline and remove barriers that are typical of inaccessible bureaucracies.  We will work with the community in obtaining assistance and resources from other agencies, both public and private.  We shall provide a public service, and through that endeavor, establish the Sheriff's Department as a facilitator for quality of life issues-not just a provider of basic law enforcement services.

I personally welcome your input and insight on what your needs are as a community and your suggestions on how we can best serve these needs.  If you would like to share information on a crime, neighborhood problem, or anything you feel requires law enforcement attention, you can send this information to our department website "Crime Stopper".  If you would like to contact me personally, you can call me at (423) 775-7837 or email at mneal@rheacountytn.gov.