You might have seen them, three uniformed men standing guard in and around Lakeland City Hall, meeting after meeting, week after week.
They are the Reserve SCSO (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office) Deputies who work multiple hours each month for $1 year — Barry Stroud, Mark G. Dahler and Donald Cresswell.
They serve as reserve deputy sheriffs for the SCSO and are required to work 24 hours a month, but the men who serve Lakeland go way beyond the work requirement.
Commissioner Matt Wright said of the deputies, “It’s always a comforting feeling seeing the deputies when you walk into meetings. It means a lot that they volunteer their time. Highly appreciate them.”
Along with other reservists, these men serve in several bureaus based on availability. Officers receive the same training as full-time deputies. They must attend classroom courses and meet rigorous physical agility standards, be proficient in the use of firearms and take 40 hours of specialized training each year. And according to Mr. Stroud, they work in the community for just $1 per year.
By day, they work in their respective careers. In their off-hours, they put on the SCSO uniform and patrol the streets and perform other public safety duties for the community.
The Reserve Bureau was created in 1965 through the vision of former Shelby County Sheriff William N. Morris, Jr. Since then, hundreds of citizens have been part of the Reserve Deputy Program.
Link to the program for additional information or complete an application: https://www.shelby-sheriff.org/resources/programs/resdep.html . There is no cost and uniforms are provided,
The three men serve as sergeants-at-arms for the BOC (Board of Commissioners) meetings and Lakeland School Board (LSB) meetings. Both groups usually meet twice monthly but can also have additional called meetings.
Barry Stroud
Deputy Stroud is often seen at the front of Commission chambers and calls the BOC meetings to order.
He has been a reserve deputy eleven years and has worked as fleet operations manager for the City of Memphis 27 years. He and his wife Teresa live in Millington, have one son and two daughters, four grandchildren and another one on the way.
As a reserve deputy, he is assigned to the SRU (Special Response Unit) division.
“I joined the SCSO because my Uncle Howard Liston was a deputy and I always looked up to him. I started in patrol then moved to Homeland and now I’m SRU. I took over the Lakeland duties for Sheriff Mark Luttrell after J. W. Horton retired from the Sheriff’s Office and have been doing it ever since. There are some really good people I Lakeland. They treat us like family.”
He volunteers, he says, because he loves to help people and usually works 50+ hours a month. His most rewarding experience? ”Finding an elderly lady who was missing for six months and giving the family closure.It’s one of the most rewarding thing that a person can do. I will protect and serve until I’m not able,” he said.
Mark Dahler
Deputy Dahler has been a reserve deputy 30 years and traces his interest to a similar job his wife had with the Memphis Police Department. “I got into the Sheriffs Reserve with some encouragement from my wife Donna, who had been a Reserve Officer with the Memphis Police Dept.
“In the last 30 years I have had the honor to serve under five different Sheriffs. I have worked in many areas of the Sheriff’s Office: Fugitive, Patrol, Narcotics, Interstate Interdiction, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, Metro Gang Unit, Federal Task Force Unit PSN, Homeland Security and currently assigned to SRU.
“I was asked to help Barry and Don out at Lakeland by Reserve Chief Barney Gardner. Our task at Lakeland has been very rewarding because most everybody who walks thru the door at City Hall may not agree on everything, but they have the wellbeing of Lakeland in their hearts.”
He said he is able to share information about the meetings to his sister and brother (Germantown Reserve Officer) who live in Lakeland.
“As long as Barry and Don continue to stand up front at the meetings they know that I will be there.”
He and his wife have a son and daughter, both graduates of Bartlett schools. Mr. Dalhler said one is a nurse, another a firefighter. “I work in the aviation maintenance field. I started working Lakeland meetings in May 2014. Barry had started before as a replacement for J. W. Horton, a Lakeland resident and retired with over 50 years as a lawman in state of Tennessee. I know at the time he retired he was the longest serving law officer in the state. J.W. trained Barry about Lakeland detail.”
Donald Cresswell
He started with SCSO Emergency Services and Dive Rescue in 1996. He graduated from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Academy in 1998 where he has worked as a reserve officer in Patrol, Fugitive, Traffic, General Investigations Bureau, Metro DUI, Shelby County Park Patrol and Bike Patrol. Like Mr. Stroud and Mr. Dalhler, he is currently in the SRU unit.
“It’s a small elite group of officers that have special training and everything from search and rescue to crowd control. We have even been known to work escort details for celebrities.
“We are only required to work 24 hours a month but most of the guys in our division average 60 to 80 hours a month. Three years ago I was asked by Reserve Chief Barney Gardner to help with Lakeland BOC meetings. After three years of standing my post I have met many new people that I can call friends. I’m not a resident of Lakeland but the people there make me feel like I am part of their City.”
He was born and raised in Memphis and is number five out of six children. He has two sons ages 14 and 24 and manages building maintenance, fire and life safety in a local hospital.
“After being a reserve officer for almost 20 years, I’ve gotten to experience a lot of things good and bad.
“One of the highlights of my career involved two prisoners who escaped from a Mason County prison. They were both serving life sentences for murder and considered armed and dangerous. They had been on the run for a week when they made it to Shelby County.
“There were hundreds of officers from different agencies including the U.S. Marshals, FBI and state police. My partner and I were assigned two recruits that were still in the Academy.
“We were to search a small wooded area not far from the Wolfchase Galleria Mall. We knew several officers had been through there earlier that day. “We did not think we had a chance of finding them. We had just gotten word that they were going to call off the search. On our way out, we found them hiding in a hole covered in leaves.”
