Passing the torch

In 1979, Chris Curry was defining himself as a businessman.

He had moved to Shelby County from Tennessee seven years prior with his work, but he’d spent that seven years letting an absence grow in his heart. That year he’d discover how to fill it.

On a visit to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Curry noticed a call for reserve deputies at the department. Though the position was unpaid, it carried many of the same responsibilities as those given to department employees. Trained reserves even shared the front seat with patrol officers as they covered the county’s more than 800 square miles.

“Back then, the department was very small, as the county was just easing into its dramatic growth period,” Curry said. “There were very few employees. Vehicles with 250,000 to 300,000 miles were not unusual. At most there were no more than three or four regular deputies out on patrol at any time.”

And thanks to that posting, Curry found what he was missing. 

“I’ve always been driven by a desire to give something back to my community, and up to that point I felt like I wasn’t giving anything,” Curry said. “That was when I discovered what my motivation was.”

He completed his training in 1980 and spent the next 10 years as a reserve deputy. Curry was eventually asked to lead the program, and during his time in charge he watched the number of reserve deputies grow to equal the number of those paid. He went on to join the Sheriff’s Office full time, and in 2002 began his first term as Shelby County sheriff.

In January, Curry will enter his final year of service as the head of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. In October, he announced he will not seek a fourth term, and when he leaves office in January 2015, Curry will have 35 years of service to the citizens of Shelby County. 

He’ll leave behind a department starkly different from the one he volunteered with years ago. Under his watch, the Sheriff’s Office has grown to 210 employees — 130 of whom have college degrees, three with law degrees and seven who have graduated from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. 

With the help of these men and women, much has been accomplished under Curry’s leadership. The Office’s Drug Task Force program has expanded, as has the Reserve Deputy program. It now has three members who are fully trained to the same level as paid deputies, and several others who have more than 20 years of service as volunteers. 

“So many projects and programs have been implemented I’d have to get a piece of paper and think them through,” Curry said. “But I don’t want to make any appearance I’m patting myself on back. The one single thing I’m proudest of is the people.”

And Curry said they’re one of the main reasons he’s stepping down — to allow another individual to step in and continue the progression.

“I think every good leader had better be developing the people around them, because anyone can leave in the blink of an eye,” Curry said. “I’ve seen it happen so many times. Part of leadership is giving the people around you the opportunity to reach beyond and excel.”

But beyond his desire to pass the torch, Curry said he’s also leaving for personal reasons. Curry, who will turn 67 in December, is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Pam, two sons and granddaughters.

“My wife and I rarely travel,” he said. “Since I became sheriff, we’ve been to plenty of conventions, and while I was in classes she did whatever she could find to do in hotels or shopping centers. We’re overdue for a real vacation.”

Overall, Curry said the residents of Shelby County have been more than gracious and generous during his time as sheriff, and he hopes the person who steps into the role after his departure is both capable of caring for the public he’s served and desiring of the work. For him, his journey in service to Shelby County has been one that taught him a great deal about himself, namely his mission in life.

“I have been blessed,” Curry said. “My family has been blessed by this community. Its citizens have given me friendship, moral support and ethical direction. The good thing is, I don’t leave office until 2015, and I’m not the kind of person to say, ‘I’m done. Mail my check to the house.’”