Reserve deputies retire after more than 40 years of combined service
Reserve deputies have been the after-hour security force at the Garland County Court House since the sheriff’s department took over courthouse security from a private contractor in 2013.
Lt. Ward Hawley, Sgt. Elgin Simmons and Deputy Joe Dempsey have been courthouse fixtures ever since, providing a reassuring presence and kind word for justices of the peace and members of the public attending quorum court meetings. They stood sentinel over the courthouse for the final time earlier this month, retiring after 42 years of combined volunteer service to the county.
“The Garland County Sheriff’s Office is extremely grateful for their dedication and loyalty to the department and the people of Garland County,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release. “They will be greatly missed, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
Capt. Hank Nowak, the leader of the reserve unit, said Hawley, who joined the reserves in December 2008, was a police officer in Illinois and worked in military intelligence. Simmons, who enlisted in February 2003, works for the city of Hot Springs’ animal control department. Dempsey, who joined in November 2004, is a retired salesman.
Nowak said their departure leaves about a dozen reserves, who, in addition to providing security at quorum court meetings, serve in a variety of capacities. He said they’re all fully commissioned officers with part-time classifications under the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.
Nowak said the unit provided 274 volunteer hours last month, including 174 hours in the patrol division. It responded to nine calls and took two reports.
“Whatever a regular paid deputy does, most of us have done,” said Nowak, who worked as an investigator for the Chicago Housing Authority. “We don’t identify ourselves as reserves. If we go out on a call, people don’t know if we’re reserves or not. All they see is the sheriff’s logo. There’s no markings to distinguish us from a paid deputy.”
Nowak said the remaining reserves work full-time jobs in addition to the 16 hours a month they’re required to volunteer at the sheriff’s department.
“Many of them give substantially more of their personal time than the minimum to serve the people of Garland County,” the sheriff’s department said in its release. “The reserve division as a whole donates thousands of hours per year to the people of Garland County. They’re to be commended for answering the call of selfless service as they leave their families and put their lives on the line during their duties.”
Applications for the reserve unit are available on the county website, at http://www.garlandcounty.org, or at the sheriff’s department, 525 Ouachita Ave.