By Gwin Tugman
In one of my many treks around Lookout Mountain, I stopped in the Lookout Mountain, Ga., police department and chatted with Tommy Hedden and Randy Hicks. Mr. Hedden joined our police force about five years ago after beginning his career in 1992 as a volunteer fireman for the Trenton Police Department. In 1994, he started working at the Dade County Sheriff’s Department, briefly working for the Gulf Shores, Ala., police department, as well as police forces in Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., and Walker County.
In 2004, he went to Afghanistan for a year to teach basic police training, after which he went back to work for the Dade Country Sheriff’s Department. He has known Chief Todd Gann since high school, and when the chief called him in 2012 about an opening in the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Police Department, he was thrilled to get the job. As expressed by all the officers in his department, he also said the mountain is a special place, noting that everyone is so nice and friendly.
In his spare time, Officer Hedden likes to be outdoors, enjoying activities like motorcycling, boating, and, of course, rooting for his Georgia Bulldogs. He lives with his 16-year-old daughter in Hixson and looks forward to work each day.
Randy Hicks is the department’s most recent addition, starting about two months ago. He has served 27 years in the police field and was one of five people who started the carpool lane enforcement on I-20 in Atlanta. He worked for the Department of Transportation for about three years and then worked for the Lafayette Police Department for over 20 years. A patrolman and a canine handler, Officer Hicks served as lieutenant with the road patrol. He later became a detective in the Walker County Sheriff’s Department, as well as a field trainer, before coming to Lookout Mountain.
He is a medically trained first responder, SWAT certified, and also sits on the advisory board for the Georgia Northwest College Police Academy. Randy and his wife, Tiffany, live in Lafayette, and love dogs, ATV’s, and camping. They have three dogs, a Doberman, a mini Doberman, and a rescue dog. They take up a lot of their time, but they love them all. He says that he loves Lookout Mountain residents because they seem to really appreciate the members of the police department.
One thing all of the policemen in this department have in common is the fact that they all love our mountain. Most of them knew one another before joining our police force, and their sense of comradery is wonderful. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful police force in our community.
In one of my many treks around Lookout Mountain, I stopped in the Lookout Mountain, Ga., police department and chatted with Tommy Hedden and Randy Hicks. Mr. Hedden joined our police force about five years ago after beginning his career in 1992 as a volunteer fireman for the Trenton Police Department. In 1994, he started working at the Dade County Sheriff’s Department, briefly working for the Gulf Shores, Ala., police department, as well as police forces in Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., and Walker County.
In 2004, he went to Afghanistan for a year to teach basic police training, after which he went back to work for the Dade Country Sheriff’s Department. He has known Chief Todd Gann since high school, and when the chief called him in 2012 about an opening in the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Police Department, he was thrilled to get the job. As expressed by all the officers in his department, he also said the mountain is a special place, noting that everyone is so nice and friendly.
In his spare time, Officer Hedden likes to be outdoors, enjoying activities like motorcycling, boating, and, of course, rooting for his Georgia Bulldogs. He lives with his 16-year-old daughter in Hixson and looks forward to work each day.
Randy Hicks is the department’s most recent addition, starting about two months ago. He has served 27 years in the police field and was one of five people who started the carpool lane enforcement on I-20 in Atlanta. He worked for the Department of Transportation for about three years and then worked for the Lafayette Police Department for over 20 years. A patrolman and a canine handler, Officer Hicks served as lieutenant with the road patrol. He later became a detective in the Walker County Sheriff’s Department, as well as a field trainer, before coming to Lookout Mountain.
He is a medically trained first responder, SWAT certified, and also sits on the advisory board for the Georgia Northwest College Police Academy. Randy and his wife, Tiffany, live in Lafayette, and love dogs, ATV’s, and camping. They have three dogs, a Doberman, a mini Doberman, and a rescue dog. They take up a lot of their time, but they love them all. He says that he loves Lookout Mountain residents because they seem to really appreciate the members of the police department.
One thing all of the policemen in this department have in common is the fact that they all love our mountain. Most of them knew one another before joining our police force, and their sense of comradery is wonderful. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful police force in our community.
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