Some people would call Richard Dean a Renaissance Man, defined as someone who has many interests and talents and is an expert in several fields.
Dean, 64, is a police officer on the campus of Co-Lin Simpson Center. He found his way to Simpson County through a long and winding road beginning in 1981, when he left Southern California.
He grew up in San Bernardino, an active swimmer and surfer. “Growing up as a kid it was the most idyllic place you could ever imagine. Kids rode bikes in the neighborhood. It was 45 minutes from the mountains, 45 minutes from the beach, 45 minutes from Disneyland. It was green and beautiful,” said Dean.
After attending two years at Riverside City College and receiving an associate’s degree, Dean joined the swim team at the University of Arkansas. While there he lettered in swimming and joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. “I majored in English Communications, which back then was broadcast journalism. I worked at a TV station in Fayetteville as a reporter. And then went to the main station in Fort Smith as a reporter.” In 1989 Dean was hired as the bureau chief for WABG in Greenwood, MS.
While in Greenwood, Dean received a call from Walter Sadler with WJTV who offered him a job in Vicksburg as bureau chief. “That’s when Vicksburg used to be the third largest city in the state.” He took the job, but Dean said more than once that there is no money to be made in the television market; reporters are always looking for the next big thing.
Dean liked Mississippi, especially Vicksburg, so he stayed. He had no desire to return to California. “I decided I needed to make money so I became a cop.”
When he attended the Police Academy he made friends with one of his instructors, an FBI agent who urged Dean to enroll in law school. He finally applied to Mississippi College and was accepted, much to his surprise, based upon his own admission about his previous college days. However, Dean performed very well on the LSAT, the standardized admission test to law school.
Dean relocated to Bolton and purchased a very old Victorian home that needed a lot of work. One evening while working on the structure he was approached by the chief of police to work as two officers had resigned. Dean filled out the application; the chief briefly reviewed it before asking “can you work tonight?” Dean began working part time during the school year and full time in the summer.
He made such an impression that he became the first investigator in Bolton and deputy chief of police. Even after receiving his law degree in 1996 he remained deputy chief, continuing to work nights as he developed his law practice. Dean remained with Bolton Police Department until 2001. That same year he purchased a collection company. In addition, he was licensed to practice law in Louisiana.
Big changes soon came Dean’s way. “I’m sitting at the computer and I get this crazy email. It says ‘your country needs you.’ I’m like ‘yeah right, this is a scam.’ I don’t know why I was in a good mood that day and I said yeah, call me. It was a guy from the State Department. They had a slot they needed to fill in Afghanistan with a civil law attorney. They wanted a civil law attorney who was also a certified crime scene instructor.” Dean was the only one to fit the bill.
He already harbored guilt over never serving in the military and saw this as an opportunity to serve his country. In 2008 he sold the collection agency, closed his practice, packed up and moved to Afghanistan, where he remained for the next two and a half years, returning to the states in 2011. Dean explained that he left right before the crash in October, riding out the economic downturn in Afghanistan. “I told you, God loves me,” he said with a smile.
Mainly stationed in Kunduz, Dean found it to be an eye opening experience. For one thing, he had to make his own crime scene kits. Because of his never ending desire for learning, Dean had taken several classes in Pearl, MS, including how to crime scene investigate old school. In turn he taught local Afghan investigators how to use what was readily available to them to make their own crime scene kits. Dean’s expertise was noticed and he was sent far and wide in the foreign country to teach others.
Dean was shot at once while there but said mostly it was rocket and mortar attacks, heavy in the spring. Dean was not armed but did have his own personal security detail, a five man team fully armed militarily. “By the time I left in 2011 we were losing about four guys a month. It was rough. That’s a lot of ceremonies to go to.”
When Dean returned he began working on a contract basis with the State Department, where he trained civilians in Indiana on the Afghan culture and constitution before they were sent overseas. He loved the work. His first stint with teaching was at Jackson Police Academy in 1996. Currently Dean teaches at Moorehead Community College as an adjunct faculty member. “I love teaching young cops and people thinking about going into law enforcement. With a JD I can teach political science, no question, but criminology was a question mark.”
One of his mentors who had a practice in Flowood took Dean on to practice primarily tax law. Soon he found himself again in a solo practice in 2019.
Dean came to Simpson County to help out a friend’s friend with a legal issue when he bumped into his old friend Scott Womack. He asked Dean to consider a return to law Dean agreed. He soon moved to part time work with the SO, five or six days a month. He attended a refresher course. After a series of deputy illnesses, Dean began working a shift for a month while still practicing in Flowood. “I had so much fun I did it for a year and a half,” he added, again with a smile.
Dean burned out practicing law and took a safety compliance position with a small company in Louisiana. Soon that company was purchased by a larger one, and they had no need for Dean. He returned to Simpson County.
His current Co-Lin supervisor, Chief of Campus Police Courtney Williams, told him about a part-time job open on the campus. Dean had earlier helped train Williams. “I fell in love with this place,” he said and now works full time on campus.
After his hiring Dean returned to school online and earned a master’s in Criminology from Delta State University in May of this year. “I have never worked anywhere this supportive of continuing education. When I graduated with my master’s it was a huge deal to Dr. Floyd.” Dr. Anika Floyd is vice president of Co-Lin Simpson Center.
Dean continued, “Dr. Floyd is the definition of a leader. She cares more about her staff than she does herself and works harder than anyone else here. That is the definition of a leader.”
He says he’s hoping and praying that a slot comes open to teach on the Simpson County campus soon. Dean began working on a master’s in business administration this fall through DSU. “I’m having fun. On the other hand, I’ll be 64 this month. It’s one thing to do other stuff but to wear this (police uniform) and protect people. I’ve kind of called my outer limit is 70.
“I’m getting an education to start my next 20 year career as a teacher here or in Wesson. I’d like to stay in the system. That’s my number one priority, to stay here. It’s not so much how I like it here as the way I see that the students are treated here. Co-Lin is unique in the fact of how important the students are. It’s not your typical model. I’ve never seen people this accommodating to students and this much invested in students’ success.”
Dean has made Simpson County his home until he is no more. But his next venture – to be continued!
