Process Servers and Warrant Officers

It is the duty of the sheriff to execute and return, according to law, the process and orders of the courts of record of this state and of officers of competent authority, with due diligence, when delivered to the sheriff for that purpose. T.C.A. § 8-8-201(a)(1). And, it is the duty of the sheriff to execute all writs and other process legally issued and directed to the sheriff, within the county, and make due return thereof either personally or by a lawful deputy or, in civil lawsuits only, by a lawfully appointed civil process server. T.C.A. § 8-8-201(a)(5)(A). Note, the provisions of  T.C.A. § 8-8-201(a)(5)(A) relative to civil process servers do not apply in Hamilton, McMinn, Sullivan and Sumner counties. T.C.A. § 8-8-201(a)(5)(B). See George v. Harlan, 1998 WL 668637 (Tenn. 1998) (The circuit court has jurisdiction to authorize the employment and pay of deputies and assistants needed by the sheriff to perform his statutory duties.).