In 1982, REID LINTHICUM met the late Colonel FRED RUTLEDGE. Reid said that chance meeting changed the course of his life. He was impressed by the Sergeants character, professionalism, and demeanor. After a few patrol ride-a-longs, Freddie convinced him to complete his GED, to enroll in Basis Law Enforcement Training and to become a Reserve Deputy. After becoming a sworn officer, he discovered a lifelong passion for Patrol duty and for serving the citizens of Randolph County, the county where he has never “officially” worked a single day. He found that his experiences when working for the Sheriff’s Office helped train, guide, and propel his career with The Christman Company, in which he works full-time. Lt. LINTHICUM stated he learned early on that the professionalism, ethics, integrity, and the commitment required to be a good officer are also desirable traits for those who wish to succeed and advance in the corporate world. He said he also learned how teams should work, how to treat fellow coworkers, crisis management, dispute resolution and many other skills that he relies on today in his corporate executive role. Reid stated, “Today, I continue to serve at a time when all the headlines seem to be negative toward law enforcement officers because I feel called by the Lord to do so, and because someone must continue to represent law and order and stand for what is right. I have the utmost respect and admiration for my fellow officers and for the job they perform every day. I believe the majority of our citizens still respect and support law enforcement, despite the negative headlines. I also still believe serving is a noble cause and that it truly matters. I hope my meager service in some small way helps the citizens we serve and my brother officers. After four decades it’s still very satisfying for a citizen to say to me “thank you for your service” and at the end of my shift to hear someone say on the radio “thanks for your help tonight 268.” This-is why I serve. I thank my amazing wife of 41 years for her tolerance, understanding, and support. I thank the Lord for providing me with the opportunity to proudly wear the badge of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. I am truly blessed.”
Notables:
- Reserve Deputy Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, March 31, 1982-present. Current rank of Lieutenant.
- Patrol Division hours served to date: approximately 7,000
- Sheriffs served under: 4 elected, 2 appointed
- Hobbies: Aviation. He co-owns a small plane that he enjoys flying. He has landed it at approximately 150 different airports in 15 states from the Canadian border to Florida and all over the Midwest. He recently piloted a L39 military attack jet owned by a colleague at Christman in Michigan. He has also flown the New Spirit of St Louis; the single engine Columbia 300 Erik Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic to France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of his grandfather’s famous crossing in 1929. The New Spirit of St Louis is now an exhibit in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington.
- He has been the Vice President of Operations at The Christman Company since November 1979
- Most memorable incident on Patrol? Wow. That’s more difficult to answer. I’ve really never done anything special. Just responded to a few thousand calls just like our deputies answer every day. The ones that are forever in my memory are those that involved a death. The DOA’s from natural causes and unnatural causes. The young lady who was a victim of a hit and run that I attempted unsuccessfully to keep alive on the side of the highway by administering CPR. I’ll refrain from speaking further of those. So I’ll go with this. About 7 years ago I responded to a domestic dispute just after midnight. The female involved met me at an intersection up the road from the address where the incident occurred. She alleged that a male at the residence had assaulted her and had also damaged her vehicle. I proceeded to the residence and discovered the male subject laying in the driveway complaining of injuries and stating he needed an ambulance. I requested EMS to responded and walked away towards the residence to obtain a witness statement. When I turned away from the male he immediately stood up and approached me with a 5’ walking stick and he began taking swings at me with it. I avoid getting struck and ended up spraying him with a heavy dose of OC spray and as a result of the wind, spraying myself equally as well. I was eventually able to get the male subject wrestled to the ground and even though I was completely blind from the OC, get him in handcuffs. EMS arrived and after flushing my eyes with several bottles of saline solution for a half hour in the ambulance, I was able to transport the male to the magistrate and ultimately to jail.