By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
SPD photo (used with permission)
Pat Mathis has a new title and his third new office location in the past 10 years at the Shelbyville Police Department.
Mathis, a veteran law enforcement officer, is the new Deputy Chief of the Shelbyville Police Department. He replaces Brian Crews who resigned to become part of the legal team at Cooper Steel.
“Deputy Chief Mathis is well-respected within the community and within the Shelbyville Police Department,” Chief Jan Phillips said. “His 32 years of law enforcement experience, knowledge and leadership is a tremendous asset to our department.”
Mathis is settled in his new office and is ready for his new duties.
“It’s a unique challenge,” Mathis said. “I look forward to it.”
Mathis has spent 32 years with the Shelbyville Police Department. Prior to that he served four years in the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department. His previous position was as a Major.
“As a major you deal mostly with quartermaster duties – ordering uniforms and supplies,” Mathis said. “You serve as the supervisor over patrols.
“The deputy chief position has more with policy and accreditation and trying to lower the risk levels. It is more of a responsibility.”
Prior to his administrative work Mathis spent 21 years as part of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) with the department. He worked patrol for a little more than a year before moving to CID. I was promoted to detective sergeant and lieutenant detective and major of patrol.
“Being in the field is an enjoyable part of the job,” Mathis said. “I worked a lot of big cases. It is fun to look back at the scrapbook and see what all is in there.
“It was a change coming of out plain clothes and going back to wearing a uniform when I was promoted to Major. But I was ready for it.”
Pat’s father, Owen, was an officer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
“I was always around the sheriff’s department and the police department, but it never really hit,” Mathis said. “I co-owned a video store in Winchester from 1983-88 when video rentals were a big thing. I sold out my part of that and came back home to Shelbyville.
“I went to work as a jailor at the county jail. I was in CID at the sheriff’s department. In 1992 Chief Wayne Haithcote hired me for the police department.”
A 1975 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School, Mathis studied drafting for a year at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.
“I drew up plans for one house in town and it is still standing,” Mathis said with a laugh. “I enjoyed drafting. It has helped me with this job through the years drawing things like traffic reports and crime scene diagrams.”
One of the main things that keeps him interested in law enforcement is the unpredictability of the job.
“Every day is a new day with different challenges,” Mathis said. “Plans usually don’t work out.”
His wife, Cathey, helped him move into his new office. She has a daughter, Lisa Epperson, who was part of the Shelbyville Golden Eaglettes State Championship run under Rick Insell. Pat has a daughter, Christina, and one granddaughter, Brianna.
“It was important for me to come back home,” Mathis said. “I had a lot of friends in Winchester but this is home. It means a lot to be able to make a contribution to the community.”
