I have written in the past about our Agricultural Deputy Sheriffs and their importance in our county. As our county's population grows and we have more visitors, I felt it important to bring back the article as a refresher and a new point of information for those new to our county. We will soon share new information about our Agricultural Deputy Sheriffs on DeSoto County Sheriff's Office's Facebook and Instagram social media sites. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the "News from the Desk of Sheriff Potter." Be sure to tune in next week (August 8th) and join our Agricultural Deputies as they patrol the four corners of DeSoto County!!
As a young boy, I always watched the western movie or show where the lone lawman was out protecting the community from criminals in far remote places on the vast expanse of lands of the old country. Our country certainly has changed from those days of simple black and white movies depicting good prevailing over evil. Who cannot recall the glint in John Wayne's eyes in a John Ford movie classic depicting the "Duke" bringing the bad guy into town! Well, enough of the reminiscing. Let me share a current function of the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office with you which harkens to the past but with a modern twist. Our Agricultural Deputy Sheriffs are part old-time lawman tracking and watching for criminal activity and part modern lawman utilizing the many advances in criminal justice practice to curtail criminal activity. Our Agricultural Deputy Sheriffs are out patrolling the vast expanse of rural lands consisting of many agricultural properties and businesses here in DeSoto County. Our agricultural community is of great value to DeSoto County and is one of the protection priorities of the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office believes in serving the needs, providing proactive protection, and crime prevention education to our agricultural community. Our Agricultural Deputies consist of one full-time deputy and one part-time deputy.
They are responsible for patrolling the vast expanse of the many agriculture-related businesses and operations throughout DeSoto County and are supplemented by our regular Uniform Patrol Deputies around the clock. Additionally, they are responsible for investigating crimes on rural properties and other unlawful activities. It is always great to hear from a DeSoto County resident who was happy to have one of our Agricultural Deputies stop by their home, barn, or property while they were repairing their fence to say hello and check on their safety.
Our Agricultural Deputies are equipped with four-wheel drive trucks, boats, all-terrain vehicles, and special surveillance equipment. They spend time meeting with land owners, operation managers, and grove owners, building relationships and a greater understanding of our agricultural community stakeholders' unique needs. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office has also implemented the "No Trespassing AG-ID" sign program. This program helps quickly identify owner/business contact information and agent agreements by the "AG-ID" number. Our agriculture protection program is one of understanding and providing crime prevention information and techniques respectfully to the owners and operation managers as we understand their time is valuable. Many Agricultural Associations and Bureaus encourage their members to become involved and work with their County Sheriff's Office. In turn, we extend our hand of protection to them through our Agricultural Deputies to curb theft, trespassing, and other unlawful activities on their properties.
Again, thank you for taking a few minutes with us here at the Sheriff's Office, and stay tuned for our Agricultural Deputy Sheriffs coming soon on our DeSoto County Sheriff's Office Social Media Outlets.
Take Care, Be Kind, and God Bless!!
Sheriff Jim Potter