Page 48 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2022

To Protect and to Serve LAW ENFORCEMENT
Often mixed up with city police departments, you probably see your county’s sheriff’s department around town more often than you think.
I spoke with Captain Edward Walley of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office to find out about his usual day at work. Spoiler alert: no day is the same!
Captain Edward Walley is the Captain of Operations, meaning he runs the logistics of the patrol division, the SWAT team, the canine division, marine patrol, and more. He makes sure everybody is on the same page. “We work together as a team for the ultimate outcome of doing everything in our ability for the community,” he explains.
Frequently, Captain Walley’s workday starts before he even gets to the office. “You can’t wake up and think today will be the same as the day before,”
he laughs. His day may start with a phone call, sometimes the previous
night. “You have to figure out what’s going on and what you need to do. Or sometimes, we don’t even make it to the office until the afternoon because we’re out in the county trying to handle situations or doing community outreach.”
On top of all that, Captain Walley also oversees training classes and is proud of the continuous training the Sheriff’s Office has. While the department has many instructors in-house to do things like firearm, taser, and even report- writing training, they also look to other agencies, even in different states, to see what training courses are offered. “We love educating our officers and allowing them the opportunity not just to better themselves – but to better their careers,” he explains. “And that’s one good thing about Sheriff Ricky Adam. He is on board with continuous education and making, not just his deputies, but every employee with the Office, better than who they were the day before.”
“When you become a law enforcement officer, you take an oath to help. And that’s not just defending the Constitution, the state, statute, law – that’s being there when people need you the most.”
story by Victoria Snyder photos courtesy of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office
48 | July 2022
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
Captain Edward Walley of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
Heroes