Benton County Teamsters employees side with deputies in concerns about Sheriff Hatcher

Another union wants working conditions addressed at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

The Teamsters Local 839, which represents Benton County corrections officers and clerical workers, released a statement this week supporting the deputy sheriff union’s ‘no confidence’ vote against their boss Sheriff Jerry Hatcher.

“Employees everywhere should be treated with respect, not bullied or belittled,” said Russell Shjerven, the union’s secretary-treasurer. “The sheriff should be a leader — not a tyrant — that leads through professionalism and teamwork.”

The announcement comes nearly a week after deputies’ guild announced an overwhelming vote of its members couldn’t support Hatcher.

The guild, which includes deputies, corporals, sergeants and lieutenants, called for an independent internal investigation into allegations he assaulted his estranged wife.

And Hatcher was put on notice that he is not allowed to meet independently with any guild member. And it said they will not support him if he seeks re-election in two years.

The guild called the sheriff a tyrant who destroyed the positive culture in the organization and replaced it with one that was “unprofessional and dehumanizing.”

Hatcher said he was blindsided by the accusations and believes only a small group within the office feels that way.

Last year, the Teamsters, the Fraternal Order of Police and the guild asked for the sheriff to resign after he faced charges in October in connection with his wife’s allegations. The charges were later dropped pending further investigation.

County commissioners voted last year to take the jail away from Hatcher, and it’s now under their control as a separate department. Since the change, corrections officers have publicly spoken about the improvements in morale and jail operations.