On the third shelf to the left of his new office on the ground floor of the downtown headquarters of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Austin Garrett proudly points to two family heirlooms that explain a great deal about the newly hired deputy chief.
“Those belonged to my daddy,” Garrett said of the old-school blue light and side-car siren in the four-shelf case.
Garrett’s father was a volunteer with the Jackson County sheriff’s department in Alabama as his son grew up, and the younger Garrett watched and learned from him.
Jay GreesonHe learned about leadership. “Best leader I ever saw because of the way he treated people,” Austin said.
He learned about police work. “I always knew it was important, and the sheriff in a small town, was a big man,” he said.