Local law enforcement legend hangs up his hat

Saturday, June 18, 2005

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Deputy Louie Lord has been with the sheriff's office for 33 years.
Pasco County Sheriff's Deputy Louie Lord may be the longest serving member of the sheriff's office, but after 33 years on the job, he's retiring.

For the last three years, Lord has been a bailiff, but he has spent decades on the road making it up to lieutenant and getting bumped down to deputy.

He worked at the sheriff's office, went to New Port Richey, came back and served through 1972.

"In 1967, I first started here," Lord said. "You had to buy your own police cruiser. When I came back in 1972, that's the first year they bought police cars."

When he started, there were only a handful of deputies per shift on the west side, now there are more than 1,000 employees countywide.

He stands by his department, co-workers and his county.

"As they referred to us as one sheriff said we're nothing but a bunch of country bumpkins here in Pasco County and I took offense to that personally and voiced my opinion on it, "Lord said. "Of course, it was as he said taken out of context and I only took it one way."

Mike Holden was a deputy under Lord back in the 1980s. Now, a private investigator, he said he appreciated his supervisor at the time being such a straight shooter.

"One thing about Louie, he'll tell you how it is in your face," Holden said. "Right, wrong or indifferent. He will tell you what you did wrong one minute, buy you a cup of coffee the next and there's too little of that these days, way too little of that."

Lord's time in Pasco hasn't been all about catching crooks and preventing crime. He volunteers for a variety of events that raise money for charities like the Angelus.

That's where he met country music legend Charlie Daniels who inspired him to start managing and developing young talent.

Lord has been a driver for country music legends for decades as well. He's arranged transportation for Daniels and other Pasco visitors like Phil Vassar, Joe Nichols and Johnny Cash.