TCSO Chief Deputy Byron Waid To Retire After Nearly Four Decades

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Byron Waid is a second-generation police officer who has served four different administrations.

Despite all of the personal hours he has invested in his trade, Waid instead credited important figures in his life for his success when he announced his upcoming retirement during Wednesday's Tuscaloosa County Commission meeting after 36 years with the county.

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"This was never in the plans, but as luck would have it, my Dad talked me into it and Sheriff [Beasor] Walker gave me an opportunity," Waid told Patch. "When I say I am blessed, I've worked for four different administrations and have been promoted in every one."

The son of longtime lawman William Douglas "W.D." Waid, who served with the Tuscaloosa Police Department from 1961-1986, Byron Waid graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School and didn't initially intend on a lifelong career in law enforcement.

Still, with his Dad's encouragement, he would get on at TPD the year before the elder Waid retired and was then hired by Sheriff Walker as a detention officer in 1986.

The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

Indeed, the next 35 years would see Waid receive a true firsthand look at the evolution of public safety, while also becoming one of the most well-known faces in local law enforcement and leaving his fingerprints on a slew of projects and initiatives that will benefit the county for years to come.

After his humble beginnings at the jail, Waid was eventually promoted to deputy and assigned to various divisions within the sheriff's office, ranging from patrol, highway drug interdiction, and criminal investigations. He went on to be promoted to sergeant in 1995 and was assigned to the patrol division before returning to criminal Investigations.

In 1999, Waid achieved the rank of lieutenant, where he served in administrative roles such as patrol shift commander, assistant jail administrator and the commander of the agency's criminal investigation division.

After being elevated to captain in 2006 and then to chief in 2013, Sheriff Ron Abernathy promoted Waid to the role of chief deputy in 2015, where he was tasked with overseeing the daily operations of the sheriff's office regarding patrol, investigations, civil process and communications.

"Chief Deputy Byron Waid has done an absolutely outstanding job throughout his career and I cannot personally thank him enough for everything he’s done for the citizens of Tuscaloosa County, the sheriff’s office and me as well," Sheriff Ron Abernathy told Patch on Wednesday. "I can always count on Chief Waid to do the right thing and accomplish the task assigned. More than just an employee working for me, Byron was truly more like a brother. I could rely on him 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Following Wednesday's meeting, Waid briefly mentioned the ongoing expansion at the Tuscaloosa County Jail and the patrol division project on 35th Street as the next big initiatives in the works for the agency after he retires. Yet, when asked about the legacy he would like to leave behind for future deputies coming behind him, Waid said he hopes they will "be better" than he was, while also placing an emphasis on the entire organization and not just the contributions of one person.

"It's everybody and about serving the citizens," he said. "I was born here, raised here and this is home — no matter what part of the county — and that's something I love about the sheriff's office. It's serving the entire county. I'm glad to be a part of that and just to see these guys go on and do bigger and better things."

Waid also insisted that his success was made possible because of the team effort exhibited every day by the men and women of the sheriff's office. He then spoke to those connections forged through years of working with others toward the common goal of keeping the community safe.

"It's really about the relationships and from relationships you have trust and friendships and that makes you enjoy what you do," he said. "When I mentioned the volunteer fire departments [during Wednesday's County Commission meeting], I got to know those guys and they provide a huge service for the community. But in general what I've seen from the beginning is how public safety as a whole — not just law enforcement, but the fire service, EMS — how everything comes together and we're all kind of pulling the ropes in the same direction. With Tuscaloosa County, and all of its different communities, I don't know that you could find another place that's as cohesive and works together like Tuscaloosa."

Now that retirement is within sight on the near horizon, Waid seems focused on enjoying time with his wife away from the daily hustle-and-bustle of administrative work and crimefighting.

"My wife is retiring as well from the University of Alabama, so she's got her time in and we're just going to take a little time and do what we want to do for a little bit and see what happens after that."

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