Over a plate of eggs and grits at a local breakfast joint, McArthur Holmes sat facing Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman. It was during that after-church Sunday meal that the sheriff asked Holmes to come out of retirement and become his right-hand man.
Holmes agreed to the job and was appointed chief deputy on Tuesday, Sept. 23, becoming the first African American in the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) 293-year history to hold the position.
As chief deputy, Holmes will oversee daily operations, manage staff, develop task forces, such as the new Human Trafficking Unit, and assist the sheriff.
“It’s been a milestone in my career,” Holmes said.
“I just came in at the right time,”
Holmes started his career in law enforcement in 1978 as a floor officer at the Old Chatham County Jail on Habersham Street.
On his first day, Holmes said the only instructions he recieved came from a familiar face — a former high school classmate who was now an inmate. The man told him to make sure the two doors leading to the jail block’s open space were never unlocked at the same time.
In terms of police training, jail conditions, weapons and pay, Holmes said, “We’ve come a long way.”
Throughout his career, he held several notable titles, including classification officer, training director, assistant jail administrator and director of the detention center, making him the first African American to hold these titles.
“I just came in at the right time, I guess,” Holmes said. “I progressed through the system and I made myself available, made sure I had the training, the background and education to move myself forward through the operation.”
Since leaving law enforcement 15 years ago, he ran for sheriff twice before finally settling into retirement with his wife. Holmes picked up a few hobbies to pass the time, such as watching the 1950s Western, Gunsmoke, and advising Coleman during his bid for the sheriff’s office.
Holmes said the two continued to speak after Coleman won the sheriff’s office and discussed the need for someone who knows the jail well.
“Any sheriff, his biggest liability is his jail,” Holmes said. “That is where your lawsuits come from. That’s where your largest number of complaints from citizens comes from.”
And as jail administrator, Holmes had a wealth of knowledge on how to run a jail. So when Coleman asked him to be his chief deputy, Holmes felt ready for the job.
“Not only is his DNA all over the jail, but it’s all over the community,” Coleman said at a pinning ceremony on Tuesday.
Ansley Franco is an intern with the Savannah Morning News, covering public safety and general assignments. You can reach her at AFranco@gannett.com.
