Hometown Madison - January & February 2017

madison's finest
Sheriff Deputy James Hall
madison county sheriff's Department
Why did you decide to become a
sheriff's deputy?
I got into law enforcement so that I could try to
keep the community I work in a safe place to live
and raise a family. When I became a deputy for
Madison County Sheriff’s Department, that same
attitude applied but it became more personal
because this is the place that I call home.
How long have you been with the
Madison County Sheriff’s Office?
I have been here two years including the time I was
in the sheriff’s deputy reserve program. Each day
was an opportunity to meet new people in the
community and to see and learn new things that
I did not know about law enforcement in general.
Tell us about your family.
I am happily married to my wife Cara Hall. We just
celebrated our first anniversary this November.
We have a dog and a cat that keeps us pretty busy.
We both have family that live in Madison County.
What is the toughest thing you have
experienced in your job?
I don’t think I can mention one that would be any
worse than the others because to the people that
fall victim to those things, it is possibly the worst day
of their lives. You just have to stay professional and
let them know that you care for them and are there
to help –whether it’s losing a loved one in an
accident, or the victim of a senseless crime.
Who is someone you admire and why?
I don’t necessarily have an individual that I’ve always
looked up to, but rather the kind of person that gets
up every day to work and support his or her family
and also helps out those less fortunate than them.
They do all these things and don’t expect any
recognition for their work. They are the unsung
heroes and I admire that.
Where do you see yourself in ten
years?
Hopefully I’ll still be serving the citizens of Madison
County with the sheriff’s office. But wherever I am,
I know that God has a plan for me and my family,
so I am pretty excited about it.
Share some things you enjoy doing in
your spare time.
I am a country boy at heart so I often enjoy hunting
and fishing and just spending time with family and
friends in the outdoors.
Name three things on your bucket list?
To spend some time in Alaska doing some hunting.
I’ve always wanted to build a cabin by a lake on
some land. My wife and I want to visit is Ground
Zero in New York City.
If you could give one piece of advice
to a young person, what would it be?
Try to think about how the choices that you make
affect others–like your parents and friends. Be
smart about those decisions and think for yourself,
not letting pressure from outside sources force you
to make the wrong decisions.
What is a favorite childhood memory?
When I was playing baseball for a select team called
the Madison Royals. We were in Memphis playing
a game and they brought me in to close out the
game on the mound. The game was tight and the
winning run was at the plate. I had two outs and
was able to strike the batter out to win the game.
I think that is the dream of every little boy, and I got
to live it out that night.
What is the biggest mistake you think
young people make today?
I think that young people believe that bad things
cannot happen to them and that they are invincible.
They need to just be more careful because God
only gives you this one life on earth and it can be
taken away in an instant. But by the same token,
you should strive to use the life that he has given
you to make the world a better place.
What is your favorite thing about
Madison County?
The pride that the people that live and work there
have for their county.
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