(WCBI) – The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is welcoming three new reserve deputies to the force. Hawkins said the only difference between a reserve deputy and a full-time deputy is the number of hours they work. There are around 20 reserve deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. With this new rule, the reserve deputies could bypass the full-time law enforcement academy, which lasts for twelve weeks. Before patrolling the field on their own, the reserve deputies will first train and ride with full-time deputies in the Field Training Officer (FTO) program.