Blazing a trail: Hubbard retires after 23 years as courthouse security officer

Sherry Hubbard’s 26-year career in law enforcement, at its core, has always been about serving others and protecting the people in the county she loves.

For the first two years of her career, Hubbard served as a school resource officer in her hometown at Red Bay High School. Two years later, she was hired as one of three Franklin County deputies working security at the Franklin County Courthouse.

Encouraged back in 1999 by then Red Bay Mayor Tommy Nelson and Councilman Johnny Cleveland, Hubbard was offered the SRO job at Red Bay. As a condition of become a school resource officer, Hubbard would have to attend and graduate from a grueling 12-week academy in order to earn her APOST Certification, no easy task for a 40-year-old.

She successfully graduated from the academy in the same class as fellow Red Bay officers Scottie Belue and Scotty Chandler, so there were some familiar faces with her those 12 weeks.

“There were a lot of physical challenges but I was ready and motivated. The hardest part was being gone from my kids (then in the 1st and 3rd grades) for 12 weeks,” Hubbard said. “That was the longest 12 weeks of my life.”

When she started with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 as a Courthouse Security Officer, her partners in that newly-created position were Andrea Bolton and Darryl Hagood. They were the first courthouse security team and, at times, the public wasn’t thrilled to see a security checkpoint as they entered the courthouse that year.

Last Friday, September 26th, was bittersweet for Hubbard, as it was her final day on the job before her retirement takes effect September 30th.

And her co-workers and fellow courthouse employees hosted a reception in Hubbard’s honor to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has helped keep the Franklin County Courthouse secure and safe in an era where incidents of courthouse violence are all too frequent across the country.

Most people only see the courthouse deputies when they enter the building, but the day-to-day duties of protecting the courthouse are far more intricate than just sitting at a metal detector all day.

The courthouse deputies serve as bailiffs when called on by the three judges in Franklin County. Hubbard and her co-workers are called on to escort jury members, witnesses and sometimes crime victims concerned about their safety in proceedings where they will face those accused of harming them.  

They assist deputies with escorting inmates transported from the local jails to court. They can also find themselves dealing with a medical emergency one minute and a dispute between adversarial parties the next.  

The courthouse has no shortage of tense situations for the public, from legal proceedings to payment of property or vehicle taxes, especially when those tax amounts have increased from the previous year. Hubbard said a dangerous situation can arise with a moment’s notice, and she’s seen more than her share, including physical altercations in court proceedings, inmates and juveniles in custody escaping from the courthouse and even a bomb threat.

In times of crisis, the courthouse deputies are often the first and only law enforcement on the scene, so there’s a tremendous amount of trust and respect required between those officers.

For the past 14 months, Franklin County Deputy Matt Crum has worked daily with Hubbard. It didn’t take long for him to realize what a valuable partner she is each and every day.

“She’s been a good partner from my first day. With 24 years’ experience in this job, she knows every aspect of the job,” Crum said of Hubbard.

With a 17-year law enforcement career, Crum is no rookie, but when he started last year in courthouse security, Crum said it didn’t take long to see Hubbard’s character.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or why you’re there—she treats everyone te very same—with respect,” Crum said. “She’s so king and makes sure people find where they’re going. She’s very patient with everyone. We have a lot of non-English speaking individuals coming into the Franklin County Courthouse and she breaks through the language barrier to help them with the same patience and respect she shows anyone who walks through the front door.

“It’s really cool to see how she relates to the public every day,” Crum added.

Hubbard’s servant heart has led her to adopt the food pantry located in the courthouse front hall. The pantry provides free non-perishable foods to anyone who needs them. And it’s a special project for Hubbard, as her fellow courthouse security officer Charles Michael explained.

“She keeps up the food pantry and always make sure it has enough in it for anyone who needs it,” Michael said. “Not only that, but Sherry encourages other courthouse employees when they come in to support it and bring what they can to help others.”

Retirement will allow Hubbard to spend more time with her husband Jeff, their two children Sierra and Zachary and their families, including her five grandchildren.

The county’s loss is Hubbard’s family’s gain. And Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver realizes he’s saying goodbye to one of his most valuable employees, at least in a work capacity.

“Sherry has been been a huge asset to the Sheriff’s Office and to the citizens and to the citizens of Franklin County,” Oliver said. We appreciate her and her service and wish her the best in her retirement!”

When she woke up Monday, September 29, Hubbard didn’t prepare to go to work for the first time in more than a quarter century. She will miss the job, but has no second thoughts about her decision.

“I’m going to miss the people here. You don’t a job for 24 years without developing friendships and relationships with people and that is part of what I’ll miss. I really liked my job. And that makes a big difference. I never dreaded coming to work, but for my family, retiring now was the right decision,” Hubbard said.