1. There’sanewsheriffintown.Well,sorta.
SheriffDerrickCunninghammayhave
onlywonhisfirstelectioninNovember
2014(with69percentofvoterschoosing
him),butheisnostrangertothearea.In
fact,everydayofhis26-yearcareerin
lawenforcementhasbeenspentserving
thecitizensofMontgomeryCounty.
After living his first 12 years in Tacoma,
Wash., where his father worked on the
pipeline, his parents (who are from Missis-
sippi) brought the family back to the South
and his father took a job in Tuscaloosa. A
couple years after Derrick graduated
Tuscaloosa High School, he spent some time
with his brother in Wetumpka. That visit
changed the course of his life forever. Derrick
was 21, and he saw a TV commercial about
careers within the Montgomery Police De-
partment. In the ad, longtime Mayor Emory
Folmar said in his notable gruff voice, “If you
think you got what it takes, give us a call.”
Subsequently, a young Derrick Cunningham
picked up the phone. After graduating from
the police academy in 1989, he ended up 10
years later in the Detective Division investi-
gating homicides. Then in 1999, Sheriff D.T.
Marshall appointed Derrick as chief deputy,
where he supervised MCSO’s day-to-day op-
erations for 15 years — until he was sworn in
this past January as the county’s 39th sheriff,
and Montgomery’s first African-American
sheriff.
28 RIVER REGION LIVING
Sheriff
DERRICK
CUNNINGHAM:
AnsweringtheCall
“It takes the entire community
working with law enforcement
when it comes to preventing crime.
I’m a strong advocate for building
a bridge between the community
and the sheriff's office, and we’ve been
successful at solving cases with
assistance from citizens.”
{ profiles & perspectives }
By DARLENE HUTCHINSON BIEHL
Photos by GEORGE PUDZIS

2. He sees law enforcement as his calling in life. “Growing up,
everybody would play ‘cops and robbers,’ and all my friends
knew I couldn’t be the bad guy. If I couldn’t be the police, I did-
n’t want to play,” he recalls with a chuckle.
With a bachelor’s degree from Troy University, and master’s
in Security and Police Administration from the University of
Phoenix, Sheriff Cunningham is also a 2007 graduate of the
FBI National Academy, which is only open to the best police
officers around the world. A true public servant, he also retired
from the Alabama National Guard after 24 years.
Sheriff Cunningham is jovial, but also sincere and intense.
“I mean what I say, and say what I mean,” he adds. This top
cop believes in being firm, but wants to always be approachable
to his staff and to residents. While he urges his employees and
citizens to point out where improvements can be made, he also
wants them to suggest solutions.
TheNextGeneration
One area where Sheriff Cunningham is constantly trying to
improve relates to inspiring our youth and giving them tools
to be successful in life.
“I believe that our youth is 50 percent of our population, and
100 percent of our future,” he says emphatically. Mentoring
our youth is critically important to the sheriff, as he wants
them to have good role models, learn positive character traits,
and become productive citizens. “Mentoring will aid in crime
prevention too, as our youth will be less likely to make poor
decisions, which in turn can lead to criminal activity,” he adds.
To accomplish this, Sheriff Cunningham has championed
numerous programs to reach students — from fishing outings,
to an annual weeklong camp for 100 kids, an Explorers post,
and a successful DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Ed-
ucation).
He explains that some jurisdictions have eliminated DARE
programs because of funding, but when a drug epidemic oc-
curs, everyone scrambles to restart these initiatives.
“I won’t stop it. If I can save one child, I’ll save that one
child,” he says. “We’ve even added to our DARE program with
GREAT (Gang Resistance Education Awareness Training) to
talk to kids about bullying and facing peer pressure. You’ve got
to go into the schools and teach prevention, and at those
schools, we’re seeing fewer problems. It’s working.” Evidence
of its success came in June, when MCSO Corporal Kofee An-
derson was named the 2015 DARE Officer of the Year for the
state of Alabama.
Sheriff Cunningham is very passionate about helping kids:
“That’s our next generation, our future generation. If we don’t
give them the tools necessary, and show them what it takes to
[succeed], we’re doing an injustice to our children. We as lead-
ers, if we can’t reach back and look at what’s coming up behind
us and pave the way for them, we’re not doing our jobs.”
It’s worth it to spend “that extra five or ten minutes to show
a child that we’re human beings; we’re not just big-bully police
officers. You’ve got to have that caring heart,” he adds.
He’s also concerned about the number of single-parent fam-
ilies in the community. “Many young men don’t have a male
figure in the home,” the sheriff says. “You need that — to teach
them how to be a man and be respectful. Being a mentor is im-
portant to fill those voids.”
ToProtect&Serve
When asked about his favorite part of the job, he answers
easily: The sheriff loves going out and meeting the community,
and he wants his deputies to also connect with citizens.
“Community policing means you ride around with your win-
dows down. You speak to people working in their yards, or stop
to help a motorist with a flat tire,” he explains. “It’s important
for law enforcement to build those relationships in the com-
munity and show them we really do care. It may take five min-
utes to write a report and be gone, or you can take 15 minutes
and listen to the concerns of a resident, and pass the info
along.”
“It takes the entire community working with law enforce-
ment when it comes to preventing crime. I’m a strong advocate
for building a bridge between the community and the sheriff's
office, and we’ve been successful at solving cases with assis-
AUGUST 2015 29

3. tance from citizens.” In fact, the agency has been stepping up
a campaign to urge students and residents to partner with po-
lice. Hoping to chip away at the stigma of “snitching,” the sher-
iff explains, “It’s alright to tell. The life you save may be your
own or a loved one.”
With law enforcement in a national spotlight, and officers
already in an incredibly high-stress and often-unappreciated
profession, Sheriff Cunningham reminds his deputies to put
safety first. “Don’t make it personal. If you take it personally,
you could be pushed to do something crazy. If a situation looks
dangerous, back off and call for some help.”
LifeintheFastLane
There are many facets of Sheriff Cunningham’s job, includ-
ing the supervision of about 300 employees (including 179 cor-
rections officers and 125 deputies), as well as an annual budget
of $27 million. The MCSO also serves thousands of legal papers
locally, and deputies patrol 643 square miles in Montgomery
County (including Pike Road). Plus, Sheriff Cunningham is re-
sponsible for the inmates housed in the county jail. To assist
with all of these critical duties, a few months ago he hired for-
mer MPD Chief Kevin Murphy as chief deputy for MCSO.
A fan of technology, Sheriff Cunningham is developing ways
to use smart phones to better serve the community and reduce
crime. A MCSO phone app that will be available soon can help
share announcements with residents. Additionally, users can
take photos of suspicious activity and submit information to
officials anonymously, and the app will show who’s in jail,
where sex offenders live in a neighborhood, and Smart 911 will
be an option. Also, MCSO recently collaborated with nearby
counties and received a grant for fingerprint technology to bet-
ter identify burglars and thieves who cross county lines and
commit crimes elsewhere. Supervisors have handheld ma-
chines that can quickly check a suspect’s fingerprints (even at
a crime scene) to see if the person is in the system.
And if all of this wasn’t enough to fill a day, Sheriff Cunning-
ham is also involved in numerous civic groups, such as the
United Way, Tri-County Alzheimer’s Association, Boy Scouts,
Exchange Club, Kiwanis Club, YMCA Downtown, Omega Psi
Phi Fraternity, and Iron Men (which helps handicapped per-
sons enjoy outdoor adventures). Plus, he’s a graduate of Lead-
ership Montgomery XVII Class.
But his family is very important to him. His wife Mattie is a
nurse, and they have two daughters who are college students
at Troy University and Auburn-Montgomery. This dedicated
public official occasionally finds some “down time” and says
his favorite hobbies are fishing and drag-racing (he frequently
goes to the speedway to watch the fun).
Having spent his entire adult life here, Sheriff Cunningham
fondly says: “I love Montgomery. This is my home, and I love
what it has to offer. It’s the best place to live, and the best place
to raise a family.”
In response to that TV commercial from 26 years ago, yes,
Sheriff Derrick Cunningham clearly has what it takes. ^
30 RIVER REGION LIVING
MCSO’sCommunityPrograms
Sheriff Derrick Cunningham has utilized many programs to stay connected with and serve local residents; a few are
listed below. For more information, visit www2.mc-ala.org/mcso or call 334-832-4980.
• Show-n-Tell Camp – Held at Camp Chandler in August, students between ages of 9 and 11 enjoy this free weeklong
camp (open to the first 100 applicants). MCSO personnel are on site all week to supervise campers and contribute to the
fun, like canoeing, archery, arts and crafts, swimming, and outdoor survival skills.
• DARE & GREAT Initiatives – Prevention programs in local schools teach students to avoid drugs and peer pres-
sure.
• Senior Fishing Rodeo – Held annually at the Montgomery County ponds on U.S. 231 (7 miles south of the Blvd).
Participants should bring bait and tackle. This year the event is Tuesday, September 8 from 6 a.m. to noon. Children not
allowed. Handicap access and portable bathrooms are available.
• Youth Fishing Rodeo – Held annually at the Montgomery County ponds to give kids a unique experience and spend
quality time with law enforcement officers.
• Firearms Familiarization Course – This free eight-hour course is held one Saturday each month at the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office Firing Range. The first 6.5 hours include classroom instruction on safety and relevant laws. The
remaining 90 minutes are spent at the firing range.
• Citizen Academy – Residents meet for six consecutive weeks (one night per week for one hour) and learn about
recognizing bad situations before they happen. Classes are fun and cover topics like jail operations, the K-9 unit, how in-
vestigations occur, and firearms training.
• Deputy Dave Day – A community event held each spring in Ramer, the MCSO staff offers various resources to cit-
izens, including local social service agencies, and even free food.
• Explorer Post 2590 – Sponsored by MCSO, this Boy Scouts post gives students a glimpse into law enforcement. De-
veloping mentor-mentee relationships, students learn about discipline, respect, community service, team building, and
leadership. Students must be ages 12 to 19, attend monthly meetings, and maintain a 2.0 GPA.
• Project Lifesaver Bracelets – These devices (equipped with radio transmitters) are ideal for citizens who are mem-
ory-impaired, including those afflicted with Alzheimer’s, Autism or Down’s syndrome. If a person wearing a bracelet and
registered in the program wanders away, those who come in contact with them know to contact MCSO, which has a list
of caregivers for the registered individuals (using a unique PIN#).

4. AUGUST 2015 31
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