Jan Shockley, right, widow of Deputy Chief Richard E. Shockley and Jeanie Hammond react to the unveiling of a ‘banner’ dedicating the Hamilton County Jail training room to the late Richard E. Shockley on Wednesday. Shockley passed away from cancer in late January.He was known for the relationships he built with his staff.
The 6-foot-6 inch man, dubbed a “gentle giant,” worked as the deputy chief overseeing the Hamilton County Jail for a couple of years until he died of lung cancer on Jan. 25.
In honor of the late Deputy Chief Richard E. Shockley, colleagues and family members gathered on floor 1B of the jail Wednesday to rename a training room for corrections deputies for Shockley.
“We thought it was the most fitting thing to do in honor of his memory,” said Sheriff Jim Hammond.
An academy will soon start for 10 new corrections deputies who’ll use the room for training before starting at the jail, Hammond said.
“Many of the officers who start their career here end up on the road,” Hammond said.
While fighting cancer, Shockley continued coming to work as long as he could, colleagues said.
“I don’t think there was anything I could have done to get his butt out of here,” said Corrections Lt. Gene Coppinger. “He wanted to stay because this was where he built relationships with people he loved. I think he felt needed and he was needed.”
Shockley’s work days began to shorten after his wife, Jan, asked that he only work half-days because of his health.
“He knew this was going to be the last stop in his career,” Jan Shockley said during her speech, her voice cracking at times with emotion. “But it was the defining moment of his career.”
Shockley worked in law enforcement his entire life. He began his career at Miami Dade Police Department in Florida and later moved to Fort Collins, Colo., where he served as sheriff of Larimer County.