By Daniel Sherrier
Editor
A switch to law enforcement brought W.D. Lipscomb from his native Beaverdam to Richmond, and from the city to Caroline County, where he has served as a deputy sheriff for the past decade.
Lipscomb initially worked in the steel industry, but steel prices plummeted after 9/11 and he was laid off, which prompted him to pursue more stable employment and his longtime interest in public safety.
That decision landed him in jail—but on the right side of the bars as a member of the City of Richmond Sheriff’s Office.
“I was just a young farmboy that went to work in the city, didn’t really know what I was getting myself into at the time,” Lipscomb said of his years working in the city jail. “I guess you could say that hardened me for a career in law enforcement, because it is a tough place to work—a lot of negativity all the time. It made me a realist to the world.”
But he’s glad he experienced it. “It allowed me to deal with different people, and I don’t regret it one bit,” he said.
After three years in Richmond, Lipscomb decided to move to Caroline to be closer to relatives. The Caroline Sheriff’s Office had some openings, so he applied and was hired as a deputy.
In his early years here, Lipscomb worked the night shift. He transitioned to the day shift about six years ago, after his first child was born.
The nights tended to involve alcohol-related incidents, thefts, and breaking-and-enterings, whereas the day shift typically includes more administrative functions, such as serving civil process—summonses, subpoenas, etc.
“I don’t know that anybody ever gets into this line of work to serve civil process, but that is a necessary evil and one that is predominately done on day shift,” Lipscomb said.
The days aren’t crime-free, however. Lipscomb frequently encounters what he refers to as “wake-up crimes”—when, for example, someone wakes up and finds his mailbox has been vandalized or the out-building on her property has been broken into. Fraud cases and computer-based crimes are also more prevalent during the day shift.
“There’s always something new. There’s always something interesting,” Lipscomb said of working in law enforcement.
“Life and death is a very real thing in this line of work, as well as people that are hurt, children that are afflicted, but there’s also some very real good times that allow you to know you’re doing the right thing,” he continued.
Lipscomb appreciates being able to help someone out of a situation that had seemed hopeless, “whether it be a young lady that is in a relationship she can’t get out of or feels she can’t get out of, or a child that’s being abused to the point where they think they can’t say anything, (or) finding a lost child and returning him home safely.”
He recalled one incident in which he was the first to respond to a medical call. Lipscomb found a man who wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, but he was able to perform CPR and revive the man long enough for the rescue squad to arrive.
“Three days later, I was able to sit in the kitchen and talk with him,” he said.
Lipscomb has benefited from several mentors throughout his career, including his field training officer, Deputy Kevin Mundy, and his current supervisor, Sgt. Keith Chatman.
“(Chatman) taught me how to be a deputy with compassion,” Lipscomb said.
As a younger deputy, Lipscomb said his goal “used to be to arrest somebody every night.” These days, he would “just as soon help someone.”
To that end, Lipscomb will soon take on additional duties as the chaplain of the Caroline Sheriff’s Office. The new program will begin in the near future, in which he will provide spiritual support to victims and deputies as requested.
“We’re human beings, too, and we have emotions, and we try not to carry them home, but sometimes we do,” Lipscomb said. “I think (a chaplain program is) something that is needed here in this county.”
As a chaplain who’s also a police officer, he will be able to talk to his colleagues deputy-to-deputy.
Lipscomb has grown fond of Caroline County during his decade at the Sheriff’s Office.
“I fell in love with this community. I’ve really enjoyed riding around this county and looking at the views and scenic nature,” he said. “This is a beautiful county. It has a lot of possibilities that lie ahead of it. … I just look forward to what happens in the future.”
Safety tip
Don’t drink and drive—at all—Lipscomb said in no uncertain terms.
“Don’t even chance it, not even a little bit,” he said. “You just don’t need to do it.”
He added, “We’re very strict on that.”