Tennessee Constables are officers of the Tennessee Judicial System as prescribed by the State Construction who are sworn and bonded peace officers with full powers of arrest under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 8, chapter 10. They are charged with keeping the peace and with the enforcement of the laws of the state, county and its cities. While their powers as peace officers are valid statewide, their activities are generally conducted in the county where they are elected.

Tennessee Code requires that to be certified as a law enforcement officer with powers of arrest the constable is required to participate in 40 hours of in-service training and to be range-qualified each year by a Certified Firearms Instructor prior to carrying a firearm in an official capacity. Most constables have obtained a Department of Safety Handgun Carry Permit in addition to their constable weapons training.

There are two entities authorized by the State of Tennessee to provide in-service training certification for constables. They are the Tennessee Constable Council and the Tennessee Constables Association.

Constables often take a variety of courses In addition to the 40 hours of in-service training required, to learn new skills and to sharpen existing law enforcement skills.  Tennessee also requires all persons that operate an emergency vehicle to annually attend and pass an Emergency Vehicle Operation Course, (EVOC).

Constables operate as individual officers at no cost to the citizens or governments of the county. Constables provide their own uniforms, vehicles, fuel and equipment and stand ready to aid or assist all citizens and/or agencies within the county. Their mission is to provide additional law enforcement presence in the county and to assist and supplement the county Sheriffs Office and the Police Departments of Woodbury. Constables are also at the disposal of the various fire departments, EMS units and rescue squads in the county as well as any state or federal agency which might have use of their services.

As any position in law enforcement, being a constable can be dangerous. In the history of Tennessee at least 19 constables have given their life in the line of duty. One constable killed in the line of duty in 1972 by gun fire was Constable Thomas Jefferson York, the son of U.S. Army Sergeant Alvin C. York, the famous American hero of World War I and Medal of Honor recipient.

Another famous Tennessee constable that came under fire was Buford Pusser, the famed corruption fighting lawman from McNairy County. Pusser was the true life sheriff in the dramatized tale and movie of his life “Walking Tall”. Buford Pusser was elected constable in McNairy County just prior to being elected sheriff.

While the constable’s position is one of the most misunderstood elected offices in Tennessee, it is historically the oldest law enforcement position in the United States. The agencies of police developed in England served as obvious examples and models for the American colonies. A parish constable was appointed for Jamestown in 1607, thereby becoming the first peace officer in England's new lands.

Many states like Tennessee still actively use constables as an important part of their law enforcement system.