The Whitley County Detention Center's mission shall be to house all inmates...State, County, etc. with the safety,  security, order, control and discipline being the number one priority.  All inmates will be treated fairly regardless of sex, race, religion, and or beliefs.  Employees of the Detention Center will be treated the same.

  Whitley County Detention Center will accept employment applications brought to the office during regular office hours. As a convenience to those wishing to apply, we have made the application available here online. No emailed applications will be accepted. Download your application HERE.

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  We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or other legally protected status.

Litter Abatement:  Inmates pick up garbage along roads throughout the county at no cost to the county.

Dumpster Days:  Individuals in the community can use these opportunities to get rid of bulky unwanted items at no cost to them.  the whitley county detention center provides inmates to help with the labor involved with dumpster days. This program is in correlation with the Whitley County Fiscal Court and is designed to keep our county free of roadside dumps. Individuals may call 606-549-6000 for dates and locations.

Abandoned Cemetery Clean Up:  In recent years our area has been troubled by cemeteries that have been abandoned and let grow up to the point of being inaccessible, the Whitley County Detention Center has provided the labor involved in the clean up of several of these cemeteries such as the Sullivan, John Parker, Mt. Ash, McHargue, Israel Mayfield, Mauney-Barton, Croley, County Poor Farm, Thomas Adkins, Bird Eye, Berry-Laughlin, Zion Hill, and Fuson Cemeteries.  All together Roy Siler along with our detainees have been able to clean 38-40 cemeteries, some of which date back to the Civil War era.

Detention Center Garden:  We have recently acquired property to plant a large garden. By allowing our detainees the opportunity to work in a garden we hope that it will not only offset the cost of food for our jail but will also teach skills that can be used when they return to their lives outside of jail.
 

K-9 Program: The mission of the Whitley County Detention Center K-9 Program is to provide basic, intermediate, advanced and maintenance training to canines and handlers.  It is dedicated to producing effective canine teams that will be highly skilled with the competency necessary to perform their duties with professionalism and integrity in any routine or emergency situation. The K-9 Unit is committed to providing the highest quality training and K-9 teams available by promoting effectiveness, efficiency and innovative concepts of training and utilization. The K-9 Units will be used to assist in the tracking and apprehension of escaped inmates, security control, drug searches and assisting outside law enforcement agencies, if requested.

We currently have four K-9 units:   First is Angel, a Bloodhound handled by Captain Ralph Childress. Angel will utilized as a tracking dog in case of an escape. Angel is not limited to just tracking inmates, she can be used by other agencies when needed such as any time a suspect flees on foot.  Angel can also be utilized when you have a lost child or adult and is available to Rescue operations when needed.   Second is Bell, a chocolate lab that we rescued from the Pulaski County Shelter. Bell will trained and handled by Captain Josh King.
Bell is in the first stage of her training and she is learning fast. She is very good on obedience and has already displayed a great ability to search for items.   Third is Dusty, a German Shepard trained and handled by Captain Jerry Privett. Dusty was obtained from Pampered Pets in London, Ky. Dusty is also in his first stage of training and doing very well. Dusty will utilized as patrol dog with emphasis on tracking and crowd control.   Fourth is Rocky, a black German Shepard trained and handled by Major Steve Lundy. Rocky is four months old and is learning obedience only at this stage. He will be utilized in searches, tracking and control.

GED Program:  We offer daily male and female classes to inmates who are interested in achieving their high school diploma.  Instruction is provided by a certified educator.

SAP Program (Substance Abuse Program):  We have a counselor that comes to our facility to offer counseling to inmates who have drug addictions.

Church Programs:  We offer weekly male and female church services.

 Ken worked over a year with the Whitley County Sheriffs Office before being appointed Jailer in October 2005.

 Ken opened the Whitley County Detention Center after the Department of Corrections had closed it down. Ken has operated the Detention Center for 7 years. He has implemented many great programs including the state work release program and a new jail farm program.

Deputy Jailer

Sandra Hoke