(1) When a county creates a deputy sheriff merit board, the board shall issue, and publish within forty-eight (48) hours after their adoption, rules that are not inconsistent with the provisions of KRS 70.260 to 70.273. The board shall provide a certified copy of the rules to:
- (a) The sheriff of the county who shall additionally post a copy in a conspicuous place in the main office and in any branch offices where deputies are regularly assigned to work from;
- (b) The county judge/executive of the county; and
- (c) The legislative body of the county.
(2) The board shall, at a minimum, adopt a body of rules that addresses the following subjects:
- (a) For deputy sheriffs: 1. Qualifications for initial and continued employment, which shall at a minimum include: citizenship, age, physical, mental, and educational requirements; 4. 2. Grounds for temporary appointments; 3. Advancement requirements. Deputy sheriffs shall be employed for at least three (3) full years before being eligible for the rank of sergeant; Factors that shall, or may, result in demotion, the procedures for determining whether or not to demote a deputy, and the procedures for executing a demotion; Factors that shall, or may, result in fining, probation, suspension, or removal; and 5. 6. Administrative procedures for the deputies in the office such as transfer, lay-off, and reinstatement.
- (b) For the general administration of the board itself: 1. Organizational structure and conduct of meetings; 2. Procedure and conduct of public hearings as a result of the board's actions; and Implementation and execution of written and oral examinations, and physical tests of fitness for appointment and promotion of deputies. 3.
- (3) The subsequent issuance of additional rules, or of the repeal or amendment of existing rules shall follow the provisions indicated in subsection (1) of this section.
Effective: July 15, 1998
History: Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 244, sec. 10, effective July 15, 1998; and ch. 510, sec. 10, effective July 15, 1998. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/98). This section was created by 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 244, sec. 10, and ch. 510, sec. 10, which are identical and have been codified together.