As I have said in earlier writings, I will tell of the things that I saw, heard, said, felt, at the time it occured. And I will make it well known in my stories when I repeat rumors, unsure of dates and times, etc.

I was hired in February 1979 by Sheriff Earl D. Lee himself after a person-to-person interview. As the new hire radio operator, I had to start my time on the night shift. Seniority. I was assigned to Sgt. Joe Whisenhut’s patrol night shift. Six months later, and still 21, I was thrown the keys to the jail and congratulated on being the S/O’s newest Jailer. Our night shift Jailer Curtis P. took a day shift position that had opened. I was still on Sgt. W.’s night shift, but it was now as the night shift jailer. Angie H. took over my spot in radio. At that time, the S/O had one jailer on each of the night shifts. Each day shift had one jailer and the Chief Jailer on duty. After a year of working jail, my day shift opening finally came. During my year and a half in exile working night shift, my love life was shot to shit. Families and friends and holidays were missed. Working 18:00 to 06:00 (6pm to 6am)  leaves little time for having any life. Sleeping during the day and working nights. On off days, what-cha gonna do on a Tuesday or Wednesday night from sunset to daylight. Nada. That is the main reason why I did so many ride-alongs, i.e., training. I was pretty bored on my off nights. It was now the summer of 1980. Dayshift!

The Chief Jailer was Sgt. George Griffin. A portly old white man with gray hair who appeared to be in his 60s. Sgt. Griffin had trained me to roll prints, photograph, feeding of inmates, book-in and book-out paperwork, and if necessary, the dreaded “strip search.”  Got tired of the one-eyed-wink, if you know what I mean. I will write stories about my time as jailer in later stories.

On the same day I moved to day shift, a young, and fat cheeked country boy was hired to fill my spot as night shift jailer. Jimmy Bilbo.18-year-old Jimmy Bilbo was hired right out of High School. No radio operator for him. He was thrown the keys as soon as he walked in. Sheriff always said, “Radio teaches how to interact with the public, and jailer teaches how to interact with those in custody”. I knew of Jimmy from high school. He was a couple years behind me, but his family were big players in Douglas County politics. The Bilbo family owned a hotel and cafeteria style restaurant on Hwy78 east of the Douglasville city limits. Hwy78 was the main highway from Atlanta to the Alabama state line even today. It connects all the way to Iron City. (Birmingham) An iconic American Highway just as important as Route 66 ever was. In the early seventies, I-20 extended as far as Hwy 5 in Douglasville. That made the Bilbo’s pretty big Muk-ity-Mucks.

During shift changes, I would have enter-actions with Jimmy. I thought something was strange about Jimmy. He always seemed sullen to me. He didn’t smile much. Just my observations. I may have been a little jealous because the 18-year-old was given the keys right off the bat, as well as a higher paycheck than a radio operator could get. Jimmy and I split ways soon after he arrived. He may have went to a different night shift, or maybe I just had as little to do with him as I could. No words were ever said that I remember. Alas, Jimmy would turn up now and again during my continued employment with the Sheriff’s Office.

Next Jimmy Bilbo Doings: Written Reprimand Story

As I explained earlier, I did ride-alongs often. I could finally ride with my old shift on night patrol. One of my day shift deputies that I enjoyed riding with was Dep. Dean Maddox.  My written reprimand story happened to occur around the new year of 1981. Read the story and come back. I’ll wait.

The patrol vacancy you read about was given to Jimmy Bilbo. O.K. I was really pissed about the whole situation at that point.  But it was just like military doctrine. No Questions. You are dismissed. Take it and go. If you did not, repercussions would follow. My two years of employment taught me that. Jimmy was a jailer from summer of 1980 till his promotion to patrol deputy in the new year of 1981. That should have been my promotion and pay raise. After 6 months as a night shift jailer, Jimmy was now promoted to a patrol shift, which included higher pay. After my six months penance I was promoted to sworn Deputy Sheriff of Douglas County, Georgia. After 2 weeks of F.T.O. I was now thrown my assigned car’s keys and hit the road to my assigned zone.

In 1981 the State of Georgia required all sworn law enforcement officers to be at least 18 years of age and a graduate of one of the state’s law enforcement academies. In January 1982 Jimmy and I were sent to N.G.L.E.A. The North Georgia Law Enforcement Academy. I had been cut loose for six months enforcing laws. Jimmy had been out there for a year and had to go. When we both graduated, we went our separate ways again until 1985.