Newest Amelia deputy
enjoys working for ‘home’

    Amelia County’s newest Deputy Sheriff said he believes working for his long-time home county makes him more dedicated to his job.
    John R. Pollock Jr. was hired in September last year and began training at the Crater Criminal Justice Academy in October. He completed the school in March and then did field training in Amelia under Deputy Will Jones, one of the office’s two field training officers (FTO). Sgt. Abraham Redman is the other FTO.
    Deputy Pollock came to Amelia from Hopewell in 1988 and entered Amelia County High School in his sophomore year. After graduation and until he was hired as an Amelia County deputy, he worked as a bricklayer.
    In 1999 he married his high school sweetheart, former Jan Elliott, and they now have a seven-year-old son, Justin. Mrs. Pollock is a third grade teacher at Amelia County Elementary School.
    Deputy Pollock saw his new job as, “the perfect opportunity for me to work in the county which I love to live and work in. I think I am dedicated to do a better job than someone who’s coming into the county. Amelia being my home makes me more dedicated.”
    Deputy Pollock said his grandfather was a lieutenant on the Hopewell city police force. “I’m the only one in the family to follow in his footsteps.” Upon his graduation from high school, his grandfather gave him his old service revolver, a .357 magnum, in its original box. His grandfather carried it as a duty weapon for more than 50 years and it is still in like-new condition.
    “Everybody in the sheriff’s office since day one has taken care of me and treated me like family,” Deputy Pollock said.
    “This job changes how you carry yourself. It makes you think before you do something. You know people are always looking at you – even off-duty—so even off-duty I try to treat people the same way. You respond to people they way they treat you.”
    Deputy Pollock said because he was hired by former Sheriff Jimmy Weaver just before he lost the election last fall, he was not certain new Sheriff Ricky Walker would retain him. Those fears were groundless, however. “Ricky trusted me enough to keep me. I appreciate that he kept me.”
    Since entering police work, Deputy Pollock has learned being a deputy is not always exciting. “I now know that you can have ups and downs in a split second. In a second you can go from boredom to having your heart racing.” A couple of weeks ago he and other deputies were responding to a neighborhood dispute when they heard a shotgun go off from a wooded area about 100 yards away. “We didn’t know who was shooting – we couldn’t see them,” he said. Things were tense for a few moments until the deputies decided they were not the target of the unknown shooter.
    When not on duty, Deputy Pollock said he enjoys spending time with his son. Justin plays baseball with the county’s Parks and Recreation Department league. He also enjoys fishing and, “going out with the family – doing family things.”
 

Deputy John R. Pollock


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