Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard, Deputy B.G. Turner, Chief Deputy Mike Deem and Capt. R.A. George. Many of the Wood County Sheriff’s deputies live and work within the community and are active in many aspects of the community, including youth sports. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The deputies of the Wood County Sheriff’s Department live and work locally and some take an active part in the community to help build relationships with people, especially with local youth.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department has 37 deputies handling law-enforcement duties around the county as well as other duties.

As of Sept. 25, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department has responded to 14,113 calls for service for 2023, said the Wood County Sheriff Department’s Chief Deputy Mike Deem.

“Most of that has been while we have been understaffed,” he said, adding many in the department are putting in the extra effort to make sure the community is served.

Sheriff Rick Woodyard said the department is five positions short of having a full complement of deputies.

“We have been able to do a little bit more with what we have,” he said.

Woodyard said around 40-50% of the work they currently do involves crimes against children.

“We are seeing a terrible uptick in child crimes,” he said. “Some of the crimes are really hideous to the point we have dedicated investigators who work those cases.”

Both Woodyard and Deem highlighted the extra work of Deputy B.G. Turner and Captain R.A. George who both coach youth sports when they are not on duty.

Turner, who has been with the department five years and coaches football at Jackson Middle School. George, who has been with the department for 15 years, coaches soccer at Parkersburg South High School as well as a youth soccer league team.

Being able to coach and spending time with the kids provides “a positive light to who we actually are,” Turner said.

Many media reports have painted law enforcement in a negative light in recent years, he said.

“Getting to relate to them and interact with them shows we are not what we have been painted to be,” Turner said. “They are a little more receptive and a little more comfortable around law-enforcement as a whole.

“I can use some of the experiences from work to help point them in the right direction once they are making grown-up decisions and appropriate decisions to become positive contributing members of society.”

He said he runs into kids he coached over the years all over town who want to catch him up on what they are doing and how life is going. He had one, who had a rough upbringing, tell him that some of the things he taught him were huge.

George said sports is a good environment for kids to learn in.

“I always thought youth sports were huge in teaching kids how to be a member of a team and that teaches them how to be a good citizen later on and be accountable for what they do,” he said. “It is huge for them to see us outside the uniform and see the type of people who wear the uniform.

“We are there and we really do care about them. That is huge for them.”

Deem said many kids will remember Turner and George for what they did for them. It might even inspire some to want to go into law-enforcement.

“It gives them that personal connection,” he said. “Police officers get a bad rap for being police.

“These guys are working one team at a time and are turning the tide on that. Cops aren’t just people who arrest you and put you in jail, they are part of this community too.”

George said it is important to have a place where kids can be safe, learn and have fun.

Through sports, many kids have learned to come out of their shells, learn to interact with others and be part of a team which will serve them throughout their lives, both deputies said..

Turner said these kids are the ones he is not seeing having trouble with the law later on.

“I feel like I have impacted positively so they don’t make wrong decisions when they are out on their own,” he said. “Teaching them the ways of the game and seeing them win is good, but once they are older and making good decisions and having taught them good values is a far better feeling than any kind of win we could have had as a coach.”

George hears feedback from teachers as many of the kids he coaches are well behaved in class.

“That is why I like youth sports,” he said. “It is not about making them the next superstar athlete.

“It is getting them to be part of a team and being accountable for their part and be a good member of society.”

George tells all his players that they are all part of a team and they have to work together, no matter who plays what position.

“Everyone has a part to play,” he said. “If everyone doesn’t do their portion, they can’t function as a team. That is what translates for them in life.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com