Chief deputy honored to ‘protect the good people’

Published 12:28 am Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Murray County chief deputy Ray Sitton thought it was going to be another typical day of court.

Attorneys were scheduled last week to select juries for upcoming trials. But before jury selection began, the attorneys surprised Sitton by presenting him with this year’s Liberty Bell Award for Murray County. Members of the Conasauga Bar Association give the award to an individual who is not an attorney and who has contributed significantly to the legal field.

“I’m very honored,” said Sitton, a 1964 graduate of Murray County High School. “I knew they were giving it away that day, but I didn’t know it would be to me. To me, this means I’ve been doing my job professionally and in a courteous manner. It means a lot to me.”

Part of Sitton’s job is overseeing court services, which includes transporting prisoners between the jail and the courthouse. He also handles complaints and has responsibility for captains and supervisors.

Sitton said he works in law enforcement to make a difference in the community.

“I like to have some part in helping people straighten out their lives. Some will. Some never will,” he said. “Some people can’t live without constant supervision. They don’t want responsibility.

“But there’s some people that you can help. And I like to be able to serve and protect the good people.”

Sitton began working “off and on” during the weekends for the sheriff’s office, then became a cop with the Chatsworth Police Department. He has been chief deputy at the sheriff’s office since 1986.

“Back when you could work part-time on weekends, I worked a regular job through the week and as a cop on weekends,” Sitton said. “I did body repair on vehicles,” something that he still does as a hobby.

“I just got into it,” he said of the hobby. “My son (Michael Sitton) enjoys it, too. We are rebuilding a 1971 Chevrolet truck right now. And I’ve always had the interest in law enforcement.”

Sitton also has a daughter, Marlene Ross, and four grandchildren.

Since Sitton has been at the sheriff’s office the number of employees has increased from 12 to 72, while the average number of inmates a day has grown from 13 to 140.

“And we’re ready to grow again,” he said.