No two days are the same at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and that’s especially true for Lieutenant Paula Hare.
A valued member of the team since 2004, for many inmates Lt. Hare is the face of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Hare knows our department and the inmates like the back of her hand. As the person who oversees all inmate records, she’s the go-to person for subpoenas. But that’s not the only hat she wears.
From making sure inmates in the detention center are accurately classified by factors such as charges, weight, height and medical conditions as a classifications manager to investigating inmate concerns as inmate grievance coordinator, she contributes to the team in many different ways.
“It is very rewarding,” Hare said. “It gives you a sense of nobility to know that you were able to assist someone. Once they get out, they can use that in the community.”
Starting out as an officer, Hare worked her way up to administrative sergeant followed by her current role as administrative lieutenant. Also a certified corrections supervisor, it’s Hare’s blend of hands-on experience and administrative attention to detail that make her such an invaluable member of the team.
Over her 18 years with the department, she’s been a source of information and support for inmates feeling overwhelmed by the legal process ahead of them.
A firm believer in an open-minded approach, Hare says of the inmates: “I’m not here to judge them, nor am I here to be their jury. I’m here to assist them along the legal system, with getting to court, and understanding their charges.”
It’s a mindset that’s just as much an asset to her co-workers as it is to the inmates, and you’ll often find her continuing to lead and support her team even when she’s off duty.
“Being a supervisor isn’t just telling someone when, what, and how to do something,” Hare explains.
Recalling an incident when one of her officers had an issue with their teenage son at home and needed help she reflected that “it’s being there for your people, getting in the trenches and showing them that you care.”
This family-like atmosphere within the team here at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is what Lt. Hare says makes her job so worthwhile.
“If you think about it, we are here with one another more so than we are even home”, Hare says, thinking about the hours the team put in to make the department such an asset to the local community. “We are here with one another all the time,” she continues, “so we have to be like family and we really are like a family.”
It’s a family that’s always expanding. If you share Lt. Hare’s open-minded approach and can-do attitude, check out our vacancies page to find your perfect role with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.