Sheriff Lott honors retired Deputy and Vietnam veteran James L. Taylor Sr.
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Mr. James L. Taylor, Sr., a 92-year-old retired deputy sheriff with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) was presented his retirement credentials, during a special ceremony at the RCSD headquarters, Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Taylor, who served as both a patrol deputy and in the Warrant Division for nearly 18 years at RCSD, officially retired more than three decades ago, but, until now, he never received his retirement credentials – a badge and an identification card (In some instances, retirees have the credentialed authority to continue carrying a weapon if the retiree maintains his or her firearms proficiency qualification).
“James Taylor’s badge and ID card are long overdue and much deserved,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott who praised Taylor for his years of distinguished service moments after presenting him his retirement credentials. “There is no finer man, no better friend, and no greater representative of our department than James who is now the second oldest living retired deputy sheriff in Richland County.”
[The oldest living retired RCSD deputy is Clifford Eisenhower who will turn 93 in November.]
Taylor who began work at RCSD in 1977 under the late Sheriff Frank Powell, retired in 1994 (the late Allen Sloan was then Sheriff of Richland County). Taylor’s retirement was two years before Lott was first elected sheriff in 1996. But the two men (Lott, who became a deputy in 1975, and Taylor in ‘77) often worked together and have remained friends ever since.
Accompanied by his daughter, Donna, Taylor was reunited with old friends (albeit much younger): RCSD Sgt. 1st Class James A. Lawson, a 42-year veteran of the department, and Lt. Ricky Griddine, a 41-year veteran of the department – both are RCSD retirees who were recently sworn-in by Sheriff Lott as special deputies.
Looking over photos in an RCSD yearbook from 1980 and laughing and sharing stories about incidents on the road long since forgotten to most, the four men – Taylor, Lott, Lawson, and Griddine – discussed everything from baseball, softball, the Police Olympics, to Taylor’s lifelong love of golf and his success in the sport.
“I remember you religiously playing golf,” Griddine said to Taylor. “And you were good at it.”
Taylor, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1933 and arrived in Columbia for the first time in 1954 (when he attended U.S. Army basic training at Fort Jackson) also discussed his 20 years of service in the Army in which he deployed to both Korea and later to Vietnam during the height of the war as an Infantryman. He also served for three years with the S.C. Department of Corrections prior to joining RCSD.
“I love the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and I enjoyed my years here,” said Taylor. “It’s a lot like the Army where you have buddies you depend on and you never forget about them.”
Asked if the work of a deputy has changed much over the years, Taylor responded: “Oh yes: The uniforms have changed, and we didn’t have all these vests, tasers, and cameras like they have today. The only radio we had was in the car. Also you didn’t really have gangs back in my day like you have today.”
Taylor expressed deep gratitude for the Tuesday afternoon honor and for Sheriff Lott’s and others’ recognition of him.
“I think I want to shed a tear,” Taylor said. “As the saying goes, ‘You should put a man in the hall of fame when he lives. Not when he dies.’ That’s how I feel about this.”
Taylor will celebrate his 92nd birthday on December 5.
– Pictured (L-R) are Sgt. 1st Class James A. Lawson, Lt. Ricky Griddine, Deputy Chief Maria Yturria, Sheriff Leon Lott, and retired Deputy James Taylor.