The first night David Layton went out on a call as a reserve with the Greenwood Police Department, he was anxious and a little scared, but excited.
His assignment was to help a patrolman clear out a fight in McLaurin Park. There were at least 50 people in the park when they arrived.
“When we got through the park, I was so excited I couldn’t wait to go do something else,” Layton said. “The moment I stepped out of the car with him, my legs were literally shaking.”
Now a newly promoted detective and a DUI officer, Layton, 48, doesn’t feel so nervous anymore.
Originally from Miami, Layton began his career in law enforcement 25 years ago as a patrolman in Eudora, Arkansas.
“It was exciting, just normal,” he said. “I worked mostly night shifts, and it was a dry county, so we dealt with a lot of alcohol issues.”
Layton said he always knew he wanted to be a police officer. His great-uncle was a deputy sheriff in Washington County, and Layton spent a lot of time in the sheriff’s office shadowing his relative.
When he was 25, Layton joined the Army. He said he was inspired to join after hearing stories while growing up from his grandfather, a World War II veteran.
For six years, Layton spent his time in the infantry in Georgia and Germany.
Going overseas for the first time was a big culture shock for Layton, and he did not see his family for more than two years, he said.
After he returned home from the Army in 1996, Layton attended Mississippi Delta Community College, where he studied auto mechanics.
He then went to work for Ryder, a truck line company, as a mechanic for 11 years, and later as a service manager for Cannon Nissan in Greenwood.
Yet, he found his way back to law enforcement when he signed up to work as a reserve for the Greenwood Police Department while working at Cannon.
After working his way up from patrolman to shift traffic officer, he was offered the job of DUI officer.
Last year, Layton made 136 DUI arrests.
Layton said out of all of the jobs he has worked, DUI officer has been his favorite.
He was promoted to detective at the beginning of this month and works on felony cases along with his DUI duties.
“The most difficult part of it is it’s like Day One as a police officer, starting all over again,” Layton said. “Everything is different, and nothing is the same. It is like being a rookie riding in the car for the first day.”
As a detective, Layton spends his time asking questions and piecing together the puzzle of different felony cases.
Yet, on top of his duties at the Police Department, Layton also dedicates his time to working with children.
He is part of Healthy Heroes, a program that involves Greenwood police officers and firefighters talking to kids about healthy lifestyle choices.
He also does presentations on seat-belt and car-seat safety.
Last week, a 7-year-old boy at Bankston Elementary School who had helped Layton with a robbery case also helped him with a Healthy Heroes presentation.
The boy told Layton he wanted to be a police officer, too, Layton said.
“It was cool, because you don’t get that a lot,” Layton said.
Layton lives in Indianola with his wife, Joyce, and their sons Zack and Zane.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
