L-R: Sgt. Morris Vanattia, Bob Ritch and Sheriff Steve Graves
Officer Ritch is a three year veteran of the program. He is very proud for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Coffee County through the Sheriff’s Department Reserve Program and looks forward to continuing his service.
Bob is married to his wife Linda and they have one daughter, three sons, six grandchildren and one great grandson. He is a 1976 graduate of Waterloo High School in Atwater, Ohio. Bob retired after serving twenty-six years in the U.S. Army and retired a second time after serving thirteen years with U.S Customs and Border Protection on the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas. Bob and Linda are enjoying retirement and being back in Linda’s hometown of Manchester.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Reserve program is made up of men and women who volunteer to take time out of their lives to give back to their community. They serve as a supplemental force that augments the regular Sherriff’s Department personnel. These officers train for a minimum of 40 hours annually to meet Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) requirements in areas such as defensive tactics, ASP, taser, domestic violence, child abuse, drug identification, police procedures, and many other topics.
Reserve officers serve in various roles throughout the department including; assisting the corrections and patrol divisions, doing prisoner transports, and serving as security during Bonnaroo, the county fair, local schools and many other community events. Each year, the Reserve Officers contribute upwards of 3,500 hours to the Sheriff’s Department and are definitely an asset to the department as well as the county.
Sheriff Graves is very appreciative to have the type of dedication that these officers demonstrate states Sgt. Morris Vanattia, who serves as the Program Supervisor.
