- See additional photos on the Cherokee Scout’s Facebook page.
Murphy – Joseph Barfield was honored as the 2019 Detention Officer of the Year during the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s Award Banquet on Friday night.
Barfield passed away suddenly on Nov. 30 while visiting family in Georgia. He left behind three children and a fiancée, who accepted the award for him.
“Joseph was special to a lot of people,” Palmer told the crowd. “We want the family to understand how much we miss him. He was, and is, a great guy.”
Before the ceremony began, Palmer held back tears while praising the personnel working in his various departments.
“We’ve had good days and we’ve had bad days, but I want to tell y’all something,” Palmer said. “This is the best sheriff’s office that I’ve ever been a part of, hands down. When I look at all the different divisions, I have confidence in every single person. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be working here.”
During the presentations, Palmer disclosed that dispatch received 94,000 calls in 2019. Officials say 40,000 of those calls fell within the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office.
Other award recipients include Rose Branson, Victim’s Advocate of the Year; Mitch Morgan, Deputy Sheriff’s Officer of the Year; Nelson Slawter, Civilian of the Year; and Kala Headley, Telecommunicator of the Year. Officials say Tyler Faggard
won 2019 Detective of the Year, but he was unable to attend due to work responsibilities.
The award recipients were chosen by their supervisors and co-workers.