December 22, 2015 - The Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) hosted an open house and retirement party for Karen Bittick on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. Sheriff Willis Blackwell and Chief Deputy Shad Sparks presented Bittick with a clock plaque in appreciation of her 22 years of service to the SCSO.
Bittick started working with the SCSO in September of 1994 when Carl Shofner was Sheriff and he had been in office for about 9 months. Over the past 21 years, she has worked with four different administrations: Carl Shofner, James Moore, Newton Johnson, and Willis Blackwell.
One of the first things Bittick did was starting the process in Shelby County of registering sex offenders and maintaining their records. In the beginning she also handled deposits, accepted ticket payments, and commissary notes for the jail. Currently, Bittick's job included sex offender registration and records, handling expungements, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) for the county, preparing packets for prosecuting attorneys, filing State and Federal reports, licensing of employees, time-sheets, and maintaining employee files.
When she started she worked by herself and when Moore became Sheriff in 2000, he hired Terrie Shelton, who was there for all of Moore's term, to assist her. Later, when Johnson became Sheriff, Cindy Bradshaw was hired and worked with Bittick. Bittick complimented Bradshaw saying she can handle the job and she's glad she is leaving it in capable hands.
When asked over the years what one thing stands out, Bittick answered, "The Tara Blue murder and that is the one thing that I hoped that I would see solved before I left. Now, I've changed it to I hope I see it solved before I die."
Reflecting on her time at the SCSO, Bittick said, "I've enjoyed the four sheriffs and I've enjoyed the time that I'm here. And I hope, I've always felt like, and I heard a lady say this on a television movie the other night, that we are here to do something special for the Lord." Bittick continued, "I honestly believe that I was put here for a reason and I hope that I have made some difference in some of the inmates' lives that I've been able to talk to. I try when they're out like this, I try to talk to them and tell them that they are better than this, that they have a whole life out there waiting on them, and I hope that I have made a difference in some of their lives."
"I've always worked with the people and trying to help them... they come in here and their world is upside down. Most of them have never been inside a facility and I would always offer them a cup of coffee, see if I could help them, and kind of guide them through the process and I hope I've made a difference but I've always felt like I worked for the people of Shelby County and I was here to help the people and I hope that I have done that and I know that the good Lord put me here, otherwise I never could have done it, because I'm not that smart," she finished saying with a smile.
