THE PEOPLE
Meet the faces behind the badges
Roger Jenkins Major/Chief Deputy
Time on job: 25 years.
Best part: I’m proud to have worked here my entire career and with our current Sheri during that time. It is an honor to work in the county where I have lived all my life and to serve all of the people.
Biggest challenge: Keeping o cers here at our o ce. Being a small department, when an o cer leaves, it becomes an immediate and urgent situation. Pulling o cers from one shi to another cuts law enforcement coverage across the board. Keeping up with o cers’ training hours and certi cations in their elds is also challenging. Our main goal is to serve the people and be able to go home to our families at the end of our shi s.
Jim Jones Captain/Investigator
Time on job: Five years.
Best part: Being able to help victims of crime, accidents and domestic violence and making a positive impact on our community.
Biggest challenge: Knowing and keeping up with the new laws of the Commonwealth (of Virginia).
Lt. M. Cody Dodson Patrol Division Commander
Time on job: 11 years.
Best part: Helping the people of Rappahannock County where I was raised. I train and mentor new law enforcement o cers. Watching them grow and put together everything they learned at the academy and in the eld is very rewarding.
Biggest challenge: The fast-changing environment and keeping up with new laws being passed every year can be very stressful and timeconsuming. At the supervisor level, it is never easy managing a group of people you work with day in and day out, especially when you have formed a bond of trust with each other. Going out on the road and handling calls with the deputies has made it easier to do that. They know you’re not sitting behind a desk second-guessing each decision they make.
Jason Bates Deputy
Time on job: 14 months.
Best part: Having to multitask and make splitsecond decisions that ultimately a ect someone. Feeling rewarded when you help someone in need. Getting out and talking to the citizens of the county.
Biggest challenge: Dealing with the evolving perception of law enforcement. I try to show everyone we are human. … We are sons, fathers, daughters and mothers trying to provide for and enjoy a happy life like everyone else.
Mark Currence Deputy
Time on job: 24 years.
Best part: Working with Rappahannock County High School sta to provide a safe environment and forming positive relationships with the students.
Biggest challenge: Helping students learn from their mistakes so they can make better choices in the future.
Robert Lee Fincham, Jr. Deputy
Time on job: 22 years.
Best part: Interacting with students at Rappahannock County Elementary School as a School Resource O cer.
Biggest challenge: COVID-19 restrictions that limit interactions with people at our annual Sheri ’s O ce events such as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Day and Shop with a Deputy.
Crystal Jenkins Deputy
Time on job: Nine years.
Best part: Community policing and helping the citizens of our county.
Biggest challenge: Being a target and the negative public perception of law enforcement.
David Meade Deputy
Time on job: Three years.
Best part: Protecting and serving.
Biggest challenge: Dealing with the negativity from the public toward law enforcement.
Tommy Sisk Deputy
Time on job: 3.5 years.
Best part: As a lifelong resident of Rappahannock County, I like interacting with many of the legendary ‘old-timers’ here. As Paul Harvey said, they give you the rest of the story.
Biggest challenge: The perception of law enforcement today. This is a di erent ballgame now from when I rst worked as a deputy for a year in 1988. I fear for the future recruitment of law enforcement o cers.
W. Chris Ubben Deputy
Time on job: 14 years.
Best part: As a School Resource Officer, my interactions with children. Being able to show them that “cops are good, well-intentioned people who want to help them” and not “take them to jail” like some parents have told them.
Biggest challenge: Sufficient staffing to be able to maintain the needed number of deputies on all shifts to meet the needs of our citizens. With the aggressions shown towards law enforcement and for officer safety, we need positions added to make sure two deputies are able to respond to service calls and traffic stops.
Lt. Janie Jenkins
Division Commander, Communications Center
Time on job: 18 years.
Best part: I love teamwork and the ability to help those who need it. No matter how large or small (the matter), helping is so rewarding.
Biggest challenge: Cell service. At times callers are 15 to 20 minutes past the emergency before they are able to connect with us.
Logan Davis Deputy and Communications Officer
Time on job: One year, eight months.
Best part: Getting to help and speak with the citizens of Rappahannock County on their worst days.
Biggest challenge: Not every day is the same. There is always a new way to carry out your duties, and how you can help every single caller.
Amanda Frazier Communications Officer
Time on job: 11 months.
Best part: I enjoy the work environment and the ability to maintain a close connection with my community.
Biggest challenge: Learning to separate myself from emergency calls, especially when they come from people I know and love.
Gary Jenkins Communications Officer
Time on job: Two and half years.
Best part: The unpredictability and being able to help people.
Biggest challenge: There is only so much we can do from this side of the headset. Not being able to do more is sometimes hard.
Donna Kestner Deputy and Communications Officer
Time on job: 13 years.
Best part: Being a voice of calm in harrowing situations. Knowing that your work serves a greater good.
Biggest challenge: As a deputy, public perception of law enforcement, officers being a target, and combating the drug epidemic. As a communications officer, lack of mental health support (for callers), thinking about the skills, knowledge and experience needed to master each component of the job, and a lack of closure on some of the calls.
Jennifer Woodward Communications Officer
Time on job: Three weeks.
Best part: I am still in training. I took this position so I could be more involved and give back to the community. I feel this is a job I can be proud of and look forward to learning all I can.
Vicki Jenkins Miller Communications Officer
Time on job: Four years.
Best part: Helping people any way I can. Speaking to our amazing seniors. They bring me so much joy.
Biggest challenge: When the outcome unfolds during a call you need to set that in the back of your mind, complete the call to the best of your ability and process it emotionally later.
Brandon Stroupe Communications Officer
Time on job: Three months.
Best part: Being there for people in their time of need. Working alongside officers and first responders to make the community a safer place.
Biggest challenge: As a first responder in my free time, not being able to be on the scene to physically help others.
Sheila Walter Communications Officer
Time on job: 37 years.
Best part: Sending help to those in need. Biggest challenge: Not all calls or complaints have happy endings.
Jasmine Weaver Communications Officer
Time on job: Four years.
Best part: Making a difference in someone’s day. Biggest challenge: There are calls you take home with you, replay, and think of what you may have done differently.