Great sendoff for ‘greatest’ sheriff’

Hundreds gather to pay tribute, say thanks to retiring Joe Chapman

There were plenty of hugs and congratulations offered to outgoing Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman Thursday evening. After a long, distinguished career in law enforcement, Chapman is retiring at the end of 2024. He did not seek another term as sheriff this year. Photo Credit: Deborah Stewart

The locally described “greatest sheriff of all time” may have gotten the greatest sendoff of all time as hundreds of people gathered Thursday evening at The Towers at Snows Mill. They were there to honor
longtime Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman, who is retiring as his fifth four-year term in office comes to a close. Also on hand for the celebration and farewell were Chapman’s wife, Tammy, their sons Jake,
Josh and Jordan, and their families.

As he looked around the large banquet room later in the evening, Chapman called the sendoff “humbling,” expressing gratitude to those who had come to honor his service as sheriff and wish him well in retirement.

“All the people in this room helped raise me in this county,” Chapman, a Monroe native, marveled after a long line of people, cellphones in hand, took photos with him as mementoes of the event.

“Joe Chapman is what you get when you cross Andy Taylor with a Marine,” Walton County Republican Party Chairman Marc McMain told the crowd that jammed the special-event venue outside Monroe as the retirement sendoff got underway Thursday. With 20 years in office, Chapman is the second-longest-serving sheriff in Walton County. He is eclipsed only by Sheriff Franklin Thornton, who held the office for 27 years, ending in 1996.

Chapman credits Thornton with a measure of his own success as sheriff. “He taught me a lot about people,” Chapman said.

First elected sheriff in 2004, Chapman is closing out a law enforcement career that spanned nearly 40 years. His career began in 1987 with the Monroe Police Department and continued with work as an investigator with Walton County Juvenile Court.

He next served as an investigator with the Criminal Investigation Division of the Walton County Sheriff ’s Office before running successfully for sheriff.

Chapman’s resume also includes six years in the U.S. Marine Corps and service in the Georgia Army National Guard. The informal title of “greatest sheriff of all time” was bestowed on Chapman by one of his mentors, the late longtime local GOP chair Roy Roberts Sr. One of the reasons he earned the local honorific was articulated Thursday by long-time Chapman friend and campaign manager, Lisa Anderson.

Anderson told the Thursday crowd that when she asked Chapman prior to his first run for office to explain why he wanted to be sheriff, he told her, “because I want to keep our families and communities safe.”

“And that is exactly what Joe has done for the last 20 years,” Anderson said. She then turned to Chapman and said, “Joe, you have touched every life in this room.” In the process, Anderson continued, Chapman became “by far, the most popular sheriff in Walton County history.”

According to McMain, the magic of Chapman’s service as sheriff has extended to neighboring counties, whose sheriffs routinely look to Chapman as an advisor and confidant. Testifying to that fact, sheriffs from at least a half-dozen area counties attended Thursday’s barbecue-fueled sendoff, where a banner noted Chapman’s “20 years of awesome service.”

A string of law enforcement leaders spoke at Thursday’s retirement ceremony. Among them was Maj.
Doug Wilson of the Georgia State Patrol, who told Chapman, “We’ll always remember you. We’ll always
respect you.”

Closer to home, Maj. Scott Whisnant, uniform patrol division commander of the Walton County Sheriff ’s Office, praised Chapman’s loyalty and commitment to the sheriff ’s office. Other Thursday honors for Chapman extended all the way from the state Capitol, where Lt. Gov. Burt Jones issued a proclamation honoring the outgoing sheriff. The proclamation was delivered to Thursday’s event by Denese Samson from Jones’ office, who praised Chapman as “truly a good man, a great man.”

Clearly touched by the honors and kind words bestowed on him Thursday, Chapman took a moment during his turn at the microphone to thank his wife for her support before joking, “Do you ever get the feeling that the world is a tuxedo and you’re a pair of brown shoes? That’s a little bit of how I feel tonight.”

Chapman went on to reminisce briefly about his service as sheriff, closing out with the heartfelt sentiments, “I love all of you. I love Walton County,” as the crowd rose to its feet with applause.

Asked later what he will miss most about being sheriff, Chapman didn’t hesitate before gesturing toward a group of people standing nearby.

“These people here,” he said. “My deputies.”

In January, Chief Deputy Keith Brooks, appointed to that post more than a decade ago by Chapman, will become sheriff. Brooks, a Walton County native, handily won the sheriff ’s race in Nov. 5 balloting. Brooks began his law enforcement career with the sheriff ’s office in 1992, later becoming city marshal with the Monroe Police Department. Chapman subsequently made Brooks a major in the sheriff ’s office uniform patrol division before appointing him as chief deputy.

Brooks will come into the sheriff ’s post with some simple, yet deep, advice from Chapman.

“I told him don’t forget where he came from,” Chapman said.