The Hardin County Detention Center is located in Elizabethtown and processes bookings from the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, Elizabethtown Police Department, Radcliff Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies within the county. Booking records are publicly accessible under the Kentucky Open Records Act (KRS 61.870–61.884). The facility provides inmate information including booking photographs, charges, and bond amounts.

Fort Knox, one of the United States Army's most historically significant installations, occupies a large portion of northern Hardin County and adjacent Meade and Bullitt counties. The installation is home to the U.S. Bullion Depository (which stores a substantial portion of the nation's gold reserves), the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, and the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The military population significantly influences Hardin County's demographics, economy, and law enforcement workload. Radcliff, the second-largest city in the county, sits immediately outside Fort Knox's gates and serves the military community.

About Hardin County

Hardin County is centrally located along I-65, making Elizabethtown a regional commercial and logistics hub. The county seat has attracted distribution centers and manufacturing facilities due to its strategic position roughly equidistant between Louisville and Nashville. The county's population has grown steadily, driven by both military-related growth and the expansion of the Louisville commuter belt southward. Vine Grove, West Point, and Sonora are smaller communities within the county. Elizabethtown is also known as the hometown setting for the 2005 film of the same name.