Son of Fallen Deputy Takes His Father's Place at Sheriff's Department: 'It's My Calling to Carry My Family's Name'
Nearly two decades after his dad was killed in the line of duty, Landon Winfield has launched his own career in law enforcement.
Winfield was sworn in Monday as a deputy at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the same Ohio force his late father worked for, WBNS-TV reported.
“I kind of look at this as my calling to carry my family’s name, which I’m doing right now,” Winfield said. “It’s one of the proudest moments of my life.”
His mother, Sarah Winfield, no doubt had mixed emotions, having lost her husband Brandy Winfield — Landon Winfield’s father — on Oct. 14, 2004, when he was fatally shot after responding to a call of a disabled vehicle.
Landon Winfield was just 3 at the time.
Despite the tragic past, Sarah Winfield explained there was no dissuading Landon Winfield from his career goal.
“He doesn’t want to do anything else,” Sarah Winfield said. “What do you do when it’s your kid’s dream?”
Landon Winfield told “Good Morning America” that he had dreamed of working in law enforcement since he was a toddler.
“I kind of just grew up around law enforcement my whole life, and I knew it was what I wanted to do,” Landon Winfield said.
“And as I got older, I realized I like being out in the community and being around people,” he said.
“I just feel like law enforcement, it gives you a unique opportunity to make your own impact in the community. You can go out and have your own positive influences.”
He said, he eventually hopes to become a K-9 handler with the sheriff’s office.
Sarah Winfield admitted to receiving a shock when she first saw her son in his deputy’s uniform.
Landon Winfield lost his father, Brandy, a Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy, in 2004 when he was just 3-years-old.
Now that Landon’s set to graduate high school, the Marysville teen wants to pursue a career in law enforcement: https://t.co/w8WQ5RK9d6 pic.twitter.com/sMgbQm7ABL
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) May 19, 2019
“When he walked into the room, I had to stop. He looked just like his dad. Spitting image,” she said, according to WBNS.
Landon is the fourth generation of his family to go into police work, according to GMA.
His great-grandfather was a deputy with Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and his grandfather, Rick Winfield, was a detective with the police department in Marion, Ohio. His uncle, Cory Winfield, also served with the Marion Police Department.
Marion County Sheriff Matt Bayles recalled Landon Winfield’s father, Deputy Brandy Winfield, as “a great guy.”
“Landon is a lot like him in looks, in actions, and we’re proud to have him at the sheriff’s office,” Bayles said.
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