Recently we had a chance to sit down and interview several new Decatur County Sheriff’s deputies and detention officers at the Decatur County Jail, who have gone to work for Sheriff Wiley Griffin in recent months. This is part 2 of 2 — read profiles of other deputies and detention officers in Part 1 of this feature. Learn more about the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and the Decatur County Jail at its website, decaturso.com
Sheriff’s Investigator Robert Humphrey
Robert Humphrey, who was hired by Decatur County Sheriff Wiley Griffin in August, is a 31-year local law enforcement veteran. Humphrey, now 55, began his career with the Bainbridge Police Department (now Bainbridge Public Safety) in 1984, at the age of 24. When Bainbridge’s police and fire departments were merged into a Public Safety Department in the late 1980s, Humphrey also became a Georgia-certified firefighter.
Over the course of his three decades with the City of Bainbridge, Humphrey performed a variety of roles, including patrolman, narcotics unit, investigator, chief investigator, patrol captain and firefighter.
Humphrey holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Thomas University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He served his country as a military policeman in the U.S. Army for three years, and was stationed in both the United States and Germany.
Helping people is something Humphrey always wanted to do in a career. Over the years, Humphrey has worked on major murder cases, drug investigations and even has rescued people who were in extreme danger after a vehicle accident or house fire.
One of the most personally rewarding experiences Humphrey had was being part of a coordinated, community-wide response before, during and after the Flood of 1994, which saw the Flint River rise out of its banks at record levels. Humphrey recalls local law enforcement and emergency responders working in tandem with the U.S. Army National Guard on flood-related preparations and response for almost a month.
“I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of great people in Bainbridge and I hope to continue serving the public any way I can at the Sheriff’s Office,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey is the father of three children: a daughter Erica, 26; and two sons, Robert Jr., 23, and Lawson, 14.
“Sometimes they are concerned about me being in law enforcement, but they have always supported me and been there for me,” Humphrey said.
In his spare time, Humphrey enjoys fishing, hunting and working out at the Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA.
Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Hill
Chris Hill, a 2008 graduate of Bainbridge High School, recently returned to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office after working for Bainbridge Public Safety for two years.
Hill graduated from the Georgia Police Academy in January 2013 and was employed part-time as a patrol deputy at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office until July of 2013. Hill worked as a policeman and fireman for Bainbridge Public Safety before returning to the Sheriff’s Office this summer when he learned there were full-time positions available.
For Hill, law enforcement runs in the family–his father, Chris Hill Sr., was an officer with Bainbridge Public Safety from 2000-2004.
“I’ve always been interested in law enforcement,” Hill said. “It’s rewarding to me when I have the chance to help someone who can’t help themselves. It’s an honor to serve the community.”
Hill, 25 years old, holds an associate’s degree in industrial and electrical construction from Bainbridge State College.
He is married to Hayley, and together, the couple have a 9-month-old son, Chris Hill III.
Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Musgrove
Michael Musgrove, 38, has been working in local law enforcement since 2007. He began his career with the Miller County, GA, Sheriff’s Office, working as a detention officer under Miller County Sheriff Buddy Glass.
In 2010, Musgrove began working at the Decatur County Jail and built his experience over the course of five years. In March 2015, Musgrove graduated from the Georgia Police Academy in Tifton, Ga. and began a new role, serving as both an on-the-road patrol deputy and the supervisor of a state inmate worker detail.
“I supervise a group of state inmate workers during the week, Monday through Friday, and I work as a patrol deputy on the weekends,” said Musgrove.
In his weekday work, Musgrove’s team of inmate workers handle a variety of duties, including maintaining the building and grounds at the Sheriff’s Office and maintaining the shooting range that both the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and Bainbridge Public Safety use on a regular basis.
Musgrove is a native of Colquitt, Ga. He is married to Natasha, and together the couple have four children: Ty, Jacob, Sadie and Mason.
Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Reynolds
Matt Reynolds, 34, recently joined the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office after a number of years running a local small business.
Reynolds, the son of Anita and Steve Reynolds, graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1999. After graduating, Reynolds went to work at the family business, Bainbridge Engraving and Awards. In 2008, Matt and his wife Keri purchased the business from his parents and operated it successfully until 2014.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping others and have watched local officers at work over the years,” Reynolds said. “Last year, Sheriff Wiley Griffin had stopped by my business and our conversation turned to me asking him questions about the Sheriff’s Office. Things started falling into place to where I knew I wanted to become a Sheriff’s deputy.”
Reynolds graduated from the Georgia Police Academy in Tifton, Ga., in March 2015.
“Being a law enforcement officer can be very positive and fulfilling,” said Reynolds, who noted that in addition to responding to criminal incidents, Sheriff’s deputies also routinely help people who are locked out of their car or have vehicles broken down on the side of the highway. That’s especially important in Decatur County, which is the 10th largest county in the state of Georgia with approximately 625 square miles of land area.
Although he’s only been working on the road for a few months, Reynolds has already experienced the exciting and sometimes stressful part of being a deputy.
“We’ve had some rough weather this summer, including a tornado, that has damaged homes, left some people without power and littered the roadways with tree limbs,” Reynolds said. “Although it’s a bad circumstance, it’s a good feeling to be part of a team that is there to help people in those type of situations.”
Reynolds is married to Keri, who works with Southwest Georgia Farm Credit. They have a 6-year-old son, Maddox, and they are happy to be expecting twin boys in the coming months.
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