ACCOMAC — Accomack County Sheriff Larry Giddens has announced he will retire Dec. 31, 2011, at the end of his current term in office. Giddens, 54, was elected the county’s first African-American sheriff in 2007 with 49 percent of the vote, easily defeating two other men who also ran for the office after Sheriff Robert Crockett announced he would not seek a sixth term.Giddens has served 24 years with the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office, in addition to four years before that with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel police.
Among other duties over the years, Giddens was the county’s first DARE officer, a job he said was his favorite. He also served as court service deputy.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1991 and to lieutenant in charge of the patrol division in 1994 before becoming captain and the department’s chief deputy.
Giddens was instrumental in the 2003 accreditation process for the department, which was one of only 14 in the state fully accredited at the time from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standard Commission.
Despite his many years of experience with the Sheriff’s Office, Giddens said he did not fully understand the pressures that come with the top job until he became sheriff.
“I didn’t imagine the magnitude, the pressure, of the job until I stepped into it,” he said.
Giddens said the sheriff’s office has within its ranks a strong candidate to replace him.
“We have a strong chain of command that is in place that knows the business, and I feel strongly that they will continue to serve the public in the way they’ve been used to,” Giddens said, adding, “My blessings and prayers are with my major, my second in command, Todd Godwin.”
Giddens said when he became sheriff two and a half years ago he had planned to run for a second term, but has since decided to retire. In Virginia, law enforcement officers with hazardous duty can retire at age 50 with 25 years of service.
Giddens’ retirement plans include substitute teaching, coaching area youth and some traveling, as well as catching up on projects around the house.
“I’m not planning on sitting down,” he said.
And Giddens had some advice for whoever steps into the position next: “The number one thing is to continue to be honest, open-minded and put people first.
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