Shelby County Chief Jailer Kirk Fields has retired from his position after nearly 40 years with the department, Sheriff Anthony Buckner said Sept. 1.
Buckner assumed office on Aug. 31, becoming the county's top law enforcement officer after winning his Aug. 6 election.
"Chief Fields retired after several decades of service to the citizens of Memphis and Shelby County," Buckner told media after a tour of the Shelby County Jail. "Certainly we wish him well in his retirement. But one thing I do know is Chief Fields wants to see the jail progress. He wants to see the jail on the national stage for all the right reasons."
Buckner said he working with the county administration to launch a national search for the next chief jailer.
"That's gonna be important
because the plans that we will develop, it's gonna be imperative to have a chief jailer who will be able to execute those plans," he said.
Fields spent the last 37 years as part of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. He officially retired on Aug. 24, according to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
Fields began his career in the jail in August 1989. He worked in the jail, rising through the ranks and instructing at the training academy, until being transferred to internal affairs in 2000.
He was promoted to captain in 2011 and then was appointed as chief inspector in 2014. As chief inspector, Fields oversaw the juvenile detention center. A year later he was appointed as assistant chief jailer over the juvenile detention center and women's jail at Jail East.
In 2018, under now-former Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., Fields was appointed chief jailer.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby County sheriff to start national search for new chief jailer
