Sheriff Lavender's Story and Service to this Community
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| Deputy George W. Lavender Jr. Circa 1976 | Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr. Circa 2021 |
Dear
Citizens
of
Ross
County;
Since
becoming
your
Sheriff
in
2009,
I
have
been
overwhelmed
by
the
out-
pouring
of
support
from
you,
the
citizens
of
Ross
County.
My
staff
and
I
are
working
diligently
to
fulfill
my
promise
of
returning
“Faith
in your
Ross County
Sheriff’s
Office”.
My
command
staff
agrees
that
this
web
site
is a
great
place
to
stay
in
contact
with
you,
the
citizens
of
Ross
County
keeping
you
informed
of
the
new
and
innovative
ways
we
will
be
bringing
law
enforcement
services
to
Ross
County.
Since
becoming
Sheriff
I
have
renewed
many
friendships
and
have
enjoyed
making
many
new
ones,
for
those
I have
yet
to
meet,
I want
to
tell
you
more
about
myself,
background
and
family.
My
Name
is George
William
Lavender
Jr.
I was
born
on
November
29th,
1954
to Helen
and
George
Lavender.
My
parents
were
raised
in
Wellston,
Ohio
but
moved
to
Ross
County
due
to
my
father’s
employment
with
the
Veterans
Administration
Medical
Center.
My
dad
was a
police
officer
there,
and
passed
his
love
of
public
service
to
me.
I
am
a
lifelong
resident
of
Ross
County,
attending
and
graduating
from
Union-Scioto
(Unioto)
High
School
in
May
of
1973.
My
parents
instilled
in
me
at
an
early
age
the
virtue
of
a
strong
work
ethic
and
I
started
working
at
the
age
of
12.
I,
like
many
youths
started
myself
a
neighborhood
lawn
mowing
business
and
was
mowing
between
25
and
I
was
very
active
in
sports
during
my
junior
high
and
high
school
years,
playing
football,
basketball,
and
running
track.
I
continued
in
sports
until
my senior
year
in
High
School
when
I
elected
to
forego
sports
and
enter
into
the
work
place.
I
started
at
Buckeye
Mart
in
1973
as a
stock
boy.
I was
promoted
thru
the
company
ranks
from
manager
trainee
to
the
store
operations
manager.
I
worked
at
Buckeye
Mart
until
1976
when
I
had
the
opportunity
to
follow
my
dream
and
was hired
as a
Deputy
Sheriff
with
the
Ross
County
Sheriff’s
Office.
I
am
a
35
year
veteran
of
the
Ross
County
Sheriff’s
Office
and
during
those
years
of
service
I
attended
numerous
law
enforcement
courses
in
various
fields
of
modern
law
enforcement
methods.
My
career
leading
up
to
my
election
prepared
me
to
become
your
Ross
County
Sheriff.
I
started
at
the
sheriff’s
office
as a
dispatcher
/
jailer
and
worked
at
those
jobs
during
my
first
year,
while
I
attended
Ohio
Basic
Peace
Officer
School
in
the
evenings.
Upon
obtaining
my
Peace
Officer
certification
I
was
promoted
to
court
officer,
where
I worked
for
the
next
Two
and
one
half
years
under
the
late
Honorable
Judge
William
Sammons.
After
leaving
the
court
officers
job
I
started
my
career
in
the
road
patrol
division.
I
found
while
working
in
the
road
patrol
division
that
I
really
could
make
a
difference
in people’s
lives
as a
first
responder.
I took
great
pride
being
a part
of
assisting
people
who
have
been
traumatized
and
were
vulnerable
after
becoming
the
victim
of
a
crime.
I
Due to
my
love
for
this
job
as a
road
patrol
officer
I
elected
to
stay
in
this
division,
passing
on
a
chance
to
work
in
the
Investigative
Division,
opting
instead
to work
towards
promotions
in
the
Road
Division.
Under
Sheriff
Knott
I was
promoted
to Sergeant.
Under
the
current
administration
I was
promoted
to
Lieutenant
and
finally
Major.
I was
in
charge
of
the
Road
Patrol
Division,
Emergency
Response
Team
and
Water
Rescue
Unit.
I
held
these
positions
until
I
retired
in
September
of
2005.
After
my
retirement
I
continued
working
for
the
Ross
County
Sheriffs’
Office,
on a grant
through
the
Ross
County
Child
Enforcement
Agency
doing
civil
process
work
Lastly
but
most
importantly
I have
been
married
to
Jeanne
(Chapman)
Lavender
for
20
years
and
we
have
three
grown
children
Dustin
Lavender,
Shay
Daily
and
Jason
Daily.
I was
a
member
of
the
Christ
in
Christian
Union
Church
as a
youth
and
have
been
a
member
of
Chillicothe
Baptist
Church
since
1990.
I am
a
member
of
the
Gideon’s
Organization
and
my
wife
Jeanne
is
an
auxiliary
member.
My
God
and
my
family
have
been
and
continue
to
be
the
driving
force
and
centers
of
my
life.
Through
them
I am
given
the
strength,
courage
and
wisdom
to continue
to
perform
the
duties
of
this
great
office.
Yours in Service
