It sometimes seems that there is more evil in the world today than ever before and the truth is that without strong law enforcement our society would descend into chaos. Some question the role of faith in the battle against the wickedness of this world, yet it is faith that plays a vital role for many in law enforcement and it is faith that helps them do their job more effectively. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that: “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So it would seem, at least to believers, that to combat the root of this evil it would be beneficial to be a strong person of faith.
Thankfully, our community is blessed to have many people of faith working tirelessly each day to keep us safe. One of those people is Lt. Jeff Byrd, who heads the Civil Division of the Surry County Sheriff’s Office. Byrd’s career in law enforcement began in 2005 in the Elkin Police Department. In 2009 he joined the Sheriff’s Department in Surry County as a patrol officer. By 2012 he was promoted to the Civil Division and eventually became the head of that department.
As a patrolman, he encountered a number of people who were not particularly glad to see him because of their criminal behavior. But Byrd saw these situations as not only his duty to enforce the law but also as an opportunity to help people by treating them with respect. “At the department we strive to treat people the way we would like our family and loved ones to be treated, he explained. “By doing that we can defuse a lot of tense situations and that is one way our faith helps us do our jobs. Sheriff Combs encourages us to walk in our faith when dealing with people.”
“There have been times that I have had to deal with people on drugs and later have seen those same people on the road to recovery. I do believe in many instances that something I said or the way I treated them had something to do with that. What God wants of me is to do good and treat people right. For me, I couldn’t deal with the pressures of this job and do it effectively if I wasn’t a Christian.”
When Byrd was promoted to the Civil Division his role changed. Instead of dealing with crisis situations, he now is involved in civil actions such as delivering court orders and death notifications. Many times these people are hurting and defensive and that enables him to be able to talk to them on a different level.
“Sometimes after bringing them bad news, I will tell them that I will be praying for them,” Byrd explained. “ If that starts a conversation, I will follow up and if it doesn’t I won’t. I won’t go further unless the Lord leads me. And afterwards they usually thank me for not only being a deputy but for the way I have treated them.”
On January 17, 2016, Byrd announced that God had called him to preach. Before that, his work schedule called for him to work many weekends, a situation that wouldn’t have allowed him to pastor on Sundays. But Byrd believed the Lord would work that out and He did. Byrd now not only enforces the law but also preaches the gospel as the pastor of Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church in Elkin, NC.
When asked how he separates policing and preaching, Byrd replied, “ I pray every morning that God’s will be done. While I am on duty I always take care of business first. By doing that it has always worked out. I believe the Lord places you where you need to be, in front of the most people so you can help and witness to them. When people look at me in uniform they first see law enforcement. Then sometimes I am able to turn the conversation to the Lord as a pastor.
A lost soul is more important to me than anything I can do as a deputy. If they are lost and I don’t talk to them I am not doing my job.”
Enforcing the law and preaching the gospel may seem like a strange combination but Lt. Jeff Byrd has made it work and our community is better off for it.