Rutherford County Sheriff's Office

What Rutherford County Sheriff's Office does

Rutherford County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) is a county government law enforcement agency headquartered at 940 New Salem Highway in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, serving Rutherford County's 626 square miles with nearly 500 employees across patrol, investigations, communications, detention, warrants, and community engagement functions. The agency traces its origins to 1804 when Samuel McBride became the county's first sheriff, and it operates a 956-bed Adult Detention Center that houses pre-trial and sentenced inmates alongside offering rehabilitation programming including GED preparation, Alcoholics Anonymous, and faith-based classes. RCSO runs the first School Resource Officer program in Tennessee, placing certified officers in all 47 county schools along with youth intervention sub-programs such as D.R.I.V.E., T.E.A.M., Reality Check Boot Camp, and radKIDS.

The agency's service portfolio spans 911 emergency communications (processing approximately 69,600 calls annually with 26,600 emergencies), patrol coverage across 10 zones, criminal investigations for personal and property crimes, narcotics enforcement, civil and criminal warrant service (1,500-2,000 civil warrants monthly), courthouse security at the Judicial Building screening 35,000 people per month, and inmate transport averaging 600 monthly. Technology infrastructure includes integration with the federal NCIC database, CommunityCrimeMap.com for public crime mapping, VendEngine for inmate video visitation, ICSolutions for inmate phone services, and third-party records and evidence management systems. The agency does not operate proprietary software products or AI-driven systems; its technology stack consists of standard commercial public-safety vendor solutions.

RCSO is funded primarily through a $76 million annual operating budget approved by the Rutherford County Mayor and County Commission, covering both the Sheriff's Office and the Adult Detention Center combined. Supplementary revenue streams include transaction fees for civil warrant service ($52 per defendant, $42 per garnishment), inmate commissary deposits, off-duty deputy hire fees, and minor fee-based services. Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh, elected in September 2018, leads the agency with a command staff of four Deputy Chiefs covering Adult Detention, Administration, Law Enforcement Operations, and Legal Counsel. The agency maintains strategic partnerships with federal entities (U.S. Marshals, DEA), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, neighboring municipal police departments, and Middle Tennessee State University.

Name

Rutherford County Sheriff's Office

Legal name

Rutherford County Sheriff's Office

Website

https://rcsotn.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1804

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is a county government law enforcement agency in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, serving 626 square miles with nearly 500 employees across patrol, investigations, a 956-bed detention center, court security, and School Resource Officer programs covering all 47 county schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Law Enforcement / Public Safety

NAICS

Police Protection (922120), Correctional Institutions (922140), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (9221)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Detention Center Operations (Immigration & Administrative Detention) (BPAKANAB), School Resource Officer (SRO) & Law Enforcement Liaison Services (EDAEACAL), Emergency Dispatch Center Services (PSAP/911 Support, Private Dispatch) (BPAKAFAJ)

Keywords

• Law enforcement services
• Public safety
• Correctional services
• Civil warrant service
• Emergency communications dispatch

Headquarters

HQ city

Murfreesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. County Budget Allocation: Government agency funded primarily through Rutherford County Mayor and County Commission approved budget of $76 million annually covering both Sheriff's Office and Adult Detention Center operations
2. Civil Warrant Service Fees: Fee-based civil warrant service: $52 per defendant in each case, $42 for garnishments. Serves 1,500-2,000 non-criminal warrants monthly including evictions, divorces, child custodies, subpoenas, garnishments, and orders of protection
3. Inmate Services: Commissary deposits through jailfunds.com kiosk and online, phone account deposits via ICSolutions, generating revenue from inmate purchases of food, clothing, and hygiene items. State law allows trusties to work off one day of sentence per day of labor
4. Off-Duty Deputy Services: Hire off-duty deputies for private security services, fee-based arrangement

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office delivers county-wide law enforcement, detention, court security, and civil warrant services across 626 square miles. It operates a 956-bed Adult Detention Center, 911 communications and dispatch, patrol, criminal investigations, narcotics enforcement, and School Resource Officers in all 47 county schools, supported by community engagement programs such as Citizen Academy, Neighborhood Watch, SCAN, and Public Safety Cadets.

Product overview

Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is a government law enforcement agency providing comprehensive public safety services to the county. The office operates the Adult Detention Center (a 956-bed correctional facility) and provides patrol, investigative, narcotics, warrants, judicial services, communications, and community engagement functions. The School Resource Officer Program places officers in all 47 county schools. The agency also provides inmate services including visitation, commissary, and phone systems through third-party vendors. Key community programs include the Citizens' Academy, Neighborhood Watch, Senior Citizens Awareness Network, and Public Safety Cadets, as well as youth intervention programs such as D.R.I.V.E. teen driving, T.E.A.M. alcohol education, Reality Check Boot Camp, radKIDS safety education, and R.A.D. self-defense training. The office does not appear to have a unified software product platform; services are delivered through direct government operations, third-party vendor systems, and informational web resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Crime reports submitted to TBI and FBI for statistical tracking
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI)coreTechnology or IntegrationMulti-agency collaboration including crime statistics reporting, background checks, sex offender registry integration (TBI Sex Offender Map), drug free zones mapping, AMBER alerts, missing children notifications, and access to TBI Most Wanted list
• U.S. Marshals ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiddle Tennessee District U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force partnership with one RCSO detective assigned to track federal and state fugitives, violent offenders who have fled jurisdiction
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCSO detective assigned to DEA Task Force for narcotics investigations and operations
• Local Police Departments (Murfreesboro, La Vergne, Smyrna, Eagleville, MTSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency collaboration for law enforcement operations across Rutherford County including joint investigations, inmate pickup from other facilities, and coordinated responses
• National Crime Information Center (NCIC)coreTechnology or IntegrationFederal criminal justice database for wanted persons, sex offenders, protection orders, bond conditions, gang members, missing persons, guns, vehicles, and identity thefts. RCSO telecommunicators enter, clear, cancel, locate, validate, and modify entries 24/7.
• ICSolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationCorrectional communications vendor providing prepaid phone services for inmates at the Adult Detention Center. Families can purchase prepaid or debit telephone accounts for inmates.
• VendEnginecoreTechnology or IntegrationInmate video visitation scheduling system used for appointment-based visits with families at the Adult Detention Center
• Tennessee Sheriff's AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide sheriff's association membership and collaboration for advocacy and best practices sharing
• Public Safety CadetsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational youth organization partnered with RCSO to mentor young adults (14-21) in public safety careers through education and training delivered by RCSO professionals
• Rutherford County EMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency Management Agency partnership for disaster response and coordinated emergency operations

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Department of Correction: State-level correctional agency that oversees state prisons and the broader corrections system. Adjacent to RCSO's Adult Detention Center operations; provides statewide framework for inmate classification, rehabilitation programming, and sentencing. Broad incumbent peer for corrections operations.
• Knox County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in Knox County (Knoxville), Tennessee. Operates detention, patrol, courts, and warrants at a larger scale. Comparable for East Tennessee/Middle Tennessee sheriff's office operating models and community engagement programs.
• Shelby County Sheriff's Office: Major metropolitan county sheriff's office in Memphis, Tennessee. Significantly larger scale than Rutherford County SO; Deputy Chief Kevin Henderson joined RCSO from a 30-year tenure at Shelby County SO. Broad incumbent peer for organizational structure and detention operations.

Direct peers

• Williamson County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in neighboring Williamson County, Tennessee. Similar organizational structure, suburban-rural service area, comparable community-oriented policing model, and operates a county detention facility. Strong direct peer for benchmarking operations and budget.
• Wilson County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in neighboring Wilson County, Tennessee. Offers comparable functions including patrol, detention, courts, and warrants. Several RCSO deputies and leadership have prior experience at Wilson County (e.g., Brian Harbaugh served as child sex abuse detective). Strong comparable for mid-sized Tennessee sheriff's operations.
• Murfreesboro Police Department: Municipal police department serving the City of Murfreesboro within Rutherford County. Operates alongside RCSO with overlapping geographic coverage; existing multi-agency collaboration between the two is documented. Comparable community policing and patrol function in the same metropolitan area.
• Davidson County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in Tennessee serving Davidson County (Nashville). Same statutory functions (patrol, courts, detention, civil warrants) as Rutherford County SO, but operating at significantly larger scale in a major metropolitan jurisdiction. Closest direct comparable for organizational structure and service mix.

Regional players

• Sumner County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in neighboring Sumner County, Tennessee. Similar size and operating environment to Rutherford County SO. Comparable for county-level patrol, detention, and court security operations in the Middle Tennessee region.
• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: State-level law enforcement agency that RCSO actively partners with for criminal behavioral analysis, sex offender registry, drug free zones, and criminal statistics reporting. Regional/state-level peer that provides statewide investigative and intelligence capabilities that complement local sheriff's offices.
• Hamilton County Sheriff's Office: County sheriff's office in Hamilton County (Chattanooga), Tennessee. Comparable county-level law enforcement and detention operations outside the immediate Rutherford County region. Useful peer for benchmarking across Tennessee county sheriff's offices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RutherfordTn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RutherfordGovernment
• Facebookfacebook.com/rutherford.county.government
• Instagraminstagram.com/rutherfordcounty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rutherford-county-sheriff's-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rutherford County Sheriff's Office