Banks County Deputy Sheriff Dillon Crump remains on medical leave as he continues to recover from a gunshot wound received Feb. 8 when he and another deputy surprised a kidnapping suspect in a car at Banks Crossing.
Crump said he has always been one who checks his equipment and protective gear each day before going on duty. He also is a stickler for wearing his ballistic vest, even when just going a short distance in his patrol vehicle.
Crump, who was struck in the hand and in the vest, said he is thankful for protective gear that saved him from further injuries.
“It’s a necessity,” Crump said. “I know a lot of people take it for granted. When you’re sitting in the car, wearing a vest and stuff like that sometimes can be very tiring wearing a vest. But, at the end of the day, it’s doing its job. It’s there to protect you. And, of course, I experienced that. You don’t think that when you go out here and work that you’re gonna get shot, any type of traumatic injury or anything, and the vest did its job that night and I’m definitely grateful for protective equipment and encourage it.”
Crump said officers should always wear their protective gear, including ballistic vests, whether training, on patrol, or in a tense setting.
“In law enforcement, you train and train for the worst situations, but when you’re sitting in your car, going to a call, and riding around checking businesses, you just don’t expect that day to be your day of getting in a situation that could arise like mine did,” Crump said.
Banks County Sheriff’s Office personnel found themselves in four officer-involved shootings between August 2021 and April and deputies continue to respond to calls involving people from all over the country who have found their way to Banks County. Some of those are wanted.
Crump said he’s not sure if that trend will continue, or if things might improve.
“I can't predict if there's gonna be more people that are wanted for different crimes,” Crump said. “You know we’re here the 85 corridor, so there's always different types of people. There's good families, there's good people, there's bad people. Every day it’s just a gamble on what type of person comes to our county, so I honestly can't say if it’s gonna get worse or better. It could go either way. And I feel like that's just for surrounding counties as well.”
Recently, Mike White of Dana Safety Supply in Sugar Hill presented Crump with a replacement for his damaged protective vest.
“And then the magical part: thanking him for wearing the armor, thanking the agency for wearing the armor,” White said. “When you get shot in the line of duty, the manufacturers replace the vest for free, as a big thank you for wearing the product and trusting in it. Bittersweet – we hate to do this. We love to be able to give you a vest back. We hate that you got shot in the line of duty but thank you very much.”
Asked for the first thought that went through his mind as gunfire erupted on that scene at Banks Crossing back in February, Crump said he is not sure.
“Honestly, it happened so fast, I don’t really know to be honest with you,” Crump said. “Since I’ve been out, I really haven’t tried to think about the situation. It’s just one of those things, it all happened so fast. But I know the main thing that I was thinking about and had been thinking about is that she was ok – the female victim. That’s the main thing that I think about.”}
It's too early to tell when Crump might be able to return to duty as his healing continues but, when he does, he has a new protective vest designed to protect him should he find himself in a similar situation.
