ON THE COVER
When Ruston Russell was a teen , he struggled to make sense of a chaotic family of addicts who used drugs and alcohol to numb themselves .
Now , in his work as a Lauderdale County Sheriff ’ s Deputy , he has a message for teens in crisis : your start in life does not have to define you and ultimately , you can make your own choices to do and be better .
“ I definitely didn ’ t have a perfect childhood ,” he said with a rueful laugh . “ I grew up in a situation very similar to a lot of the kids that I see . I can relate to them . I know where they are coming from and I like trying to show them that they can make a different choice – that they don ’ t have to go down the same road their parents did .”
Russell dropped out right before high school graduation because of issues at home . He packed up his possessions and moved to Meridian , where he got his GED and went to work at Barham Funeral Home . He stayed at the funeral home until he was 25 , when he started with the Meridian Police Department . Soon after , he landed at the Lauderdale County Sheriff ’ s Department , where he has been for the past 19 years .
“ Being in law enforcement was something I wanted to do as a small child ,” Russell recalled . “ I never lost the passion to help people . I enjoy dealing with the public and I enjoy feeling like in my own way , I can make a difference through the work that I do .”
Russell is currently assigned to work with juveniles and youth court , where most of his work is focused on Child Protective Services ( CPS ) and juvenile crimes . He often goes out with CPS to do welfare checks on children . Other times , he looks for runaways and serves warrants to youth .
“ I honestly never thought I ’ d enjoy working with youth ,” he said . “ But it turns out I get along really well with the kids and I like dealing with them . When you make a difference in someone ’ s life and you can see the good you are doing , it keeps you going .”
On days when there are CPS hearings , he works to ensure that the process is running smoothly and that the families in attendance stay calm and orderly .
“ Court can be heated , especially when different family members who don ’ t get along are brought together ,” he said .
Other times , Russell jokes that he is an unofficial Uber , shuttling children to different juvenile detention centers in Vicksburg , Hattiesburg and other locations . Sometimes , he takes them to mental health facilities that specialize in serving adolescents . Other times , youth need help getting to a group home out of the area .
“ I try to make the most of that time ,” Russell said . “ We might stop and get a snack or something like that . I sometimes pick them up all hours of day and night and we can drive as far as Memphis or the coast . Most of them are happy to see me and to talk about what ’ s going on with them . I demand they act right but I also let them know I love them and I care what happens to them . They seem to appreciate that .”
Russell said he thinks all teens benefit from being shown patience .
“ You can ’ t act out at them in anger , no matter what ,” he said . “ You have to be patient . A lot of them really need and want to vent . You have to remember they might act out because of anger and say something they don ’ t mean . You just have to be patient and listen and to think about why they do what they do . Like all of us , most of them really just need someone to talk to , to be patient and to really listen .”
Russell said one of the most common issues he deals with is
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runaways . Many , he said , are fleeing less than ideal situations . But he tries to remind them of the dangers of being out in the world alone at a young age .
“ I try to help them see the dangers out there ,” he said . “ They don ’ t understand the situation they are putting themselves in .”
When Russell isn ’ t working with teens at work , he can often be found with his own eight grandchildren , who range in age from about 1 to about 14 . A Tik Tok video where he danced with his two oldest granddaughters went viral not long ago .
“ I didn ’ t even know what I was doing ,” Russell laughed . “ I just stood behind them and did what they did . It seems like people all over have seen that thing now .”
He enjoys hunting and fishing with his grandchildren , as well as hunting and spending time with his wife Diane , who he has been married to for 10 years .
He still helps out sometimes at Barham Funeral Home , where he worked as a young man . He said that in hindsight , his work in the mortuary business probably taught him skills he uses now .
“ I guess that ’ s a big part of what I do – helping people who are dealing with tragedy ,” he said . “ You never know when you are helping someone through a hard time , the impact you will make . I have people now who come back and ask me to talk to their kids because I talked to them years ago and it made a difference for them . That ’ s the thing about life , you don ’ t always see the difference you are making until later . You have to trust it .” M
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