Meet Captain David Graham and Sergeant Marcus Graham, a pair of McClain County deputies.
Bonded by blood, a father- son duo of McClain County deputies have found their own respective callings in law enforcement.
Captain David Graham is currently a certified police instructor for the Mid-America Technology Center’s Criminal Justice Officer program while serving as McClain County’s reserve captain.
However, according to the captain himself, “As a deputy, I’ve done everything that you can possibly do.”
“I was a field deputy, then I moved up to detective, then I was a school resource officer. I was promoted to lieutenant where I was in charge of the field deputies. I was the SWAT team commander for 13 years and now I’m the reserve captain,” Capt. Graham said.
In 2007, the captain took a leap and went into education. The result was anything but what he expected.“ It’s awesome to be a part of these young people’s lives. The people who graduate my class, all of them won’t be police officers, but they’re awesome,” he explained.
“We’ve got students going to the military, going to college, doing both, so being a part of these young people’s lives and giving them goals and plans to reach those goals is awesome,” he said.
The captain’s son, Sergeant Marcus Graham, is also a deputy in McClain County and said his dad’s passion for law enforcement is a big reason why he followed in his footsteps.
“If my dad wasn’t a deputy, I probably wouldn’t be because I wouldn’t have been exposed to it,” Sgt. Graham said.
“I’ve been involved in law enforcement for 45 years so I’ve seen quite a bit of it,” Mc-Clain County Sheriff Landy Offolter said. “I think it’s pretty cool. I’m honored to have a father-son team,” he said.
While both are McClain County deputies, their duties vary.
Sgt. Marcus Graham is a field deputy assigned to Wayne, but he also serves as McClain County’s contract sergeant.
“Which means I am the supervisor of the other contract deputies who are contracted by municipalities and schools,” he explained.
The sergeant has spent half of his 10-year field deputy career assigned to Wayne, where he feels like he has become a part of the community.
“I know so many people who live and work here now, and have built friendships with a lot of members of this community,” he said.
“Wayne is kind of special in that regard because it’s just a small, tight-knit community. A community that, before I was a deputy, I never spent any time here and now I know half of the people in this town by name,” Sgt. Graham said.
And although the two may not run into each other in the field very often due to the captain’s reserve status, the two have responded to calls together before.
“If he’s there, it makes me want to do even better,” Sgt. Graham said.
“He’s very good. He’s good at researching and he knows the law,” Capt. Graham said of his son. “I’m a proud dad. To see him not only become a productive part of society but also to become a productive part of society like me and his mom, both of us being in law enforcement, it’s awesome.”
