Richmond County Sheriff Gino Brantley hosted over 115 retired and former employees Monday for lunch in what he hopes to make an annual tradition.
“It feels like a great family reunion to see so many faces,” Brantley said. “I’m sure we have thousands of stories we can tell and thousands of years of experience right here.”
Many in the group spent 40 years with the sheriff’s office while several surpassed 45 years, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
“The majority of you retired from this agency after many years of dedicated service, while others went on to lead or serve with distinction in other agencies,” Brantley said. “No matter the path, each of you left an indelible mark on this office and on this community.”
Former sheriff offers praise
Brantley welcomed his former boss – retired Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength – with whom he worked a dozen years. Strength had kind words for Brantley, whom he “raised from a pup.”
The pup has become a gentleman, Strength said. The former sheriff, who retired in 2012, said he still gets calls from the community that includes praise for Brantley, who took office this year.
“In all of the feedback I get, everybody is satisfied with him,” Strength said. “He’s trying to do a good job, he wants to do a good job and Richmond County is really lucky to have him.”
The event was a rare opportunity for the men and women who worked together for decades to “reconnect with each other,” Brantley said. “Like one of them said, if we didn’t have this, there’s no telling when we would have ever seen so many people we used to work with in one setting,” he said.
Restoring standards, addressing issues
In between Strength and Brantley, former Sheriff Richard Roundtree served 12 years. Brantley told the group he’s working “tirelessly to restore the standards” they enjoyed under Strength, while also modernizing the agency.
The sheriff’s office is addressing “serious issues” at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, he said. The county jail is named for former Sheriff Charlie Webster, who served from 1984-2000.
Additional changes Brantley has implemented include the return of black and gray uniforms, specialized divisions and implementation of technology such as drones, flock cameras and a real-time crime center, the statement said.
Even more plans include the launch of an effort to solve cold cases, in which Brantley invited the retirees to participate. “If we solve just one of them, it will bring some closure to these families,” he said.
Brantley also announced the sheriff’s office will be issuing retired credentials to those who never received them, effective immediately.
