Chief Copeland Reflects on 26 Years Behind the Badge as He Prepares to Retire

After 26 years in law enforcement, all of them with the Laurens Police Department, Chief Heath Copeland is stepping away from the badge and trading late-night phone calls for early mornings on his family’s farm.

A Pull Toward the Badge

Copeland began his career in Laurens in 2000 and never worked anywhere else in law enforcement. His path into the profession started with a ride-along, arranged by his best friend, Matt Shaw, who has since retired as a major in Lancaster County.

“It was during the ride-alongs with Matt Shaw I knew this was meant for me to do,” Copeland said. “I felt a pull to apply after that ride-along.”

Those first years on patrol opened his eyes to a world he had not grown up around, one that included poverty, domestic violence, drug problems, overdoses and gunshot victims. He remembers plenty of foot pursuits, and he estimates he took about 90 percent of the people he chased into custody. Through all of it, he said, he made a point of treating everyone with respect, even during an arrest.

Rising Through the Ranks

Copeland credits a long list of officers with teaching him the right way to do the job, among them Chief Morse, Lt. Tracy Burke, Dwight Craft, Lt. Alan Smith, Det. Perry Haney and Judge Jackie Williams. He rose to sergeant and then lieutenant on patrol, where he trained officers and learned to manage a range of personalities.

The move to the administrative side did not come easily. Copeland loved being on the road and working extra duty at the Laurens Preparatory Academy, the city’s alternative school, and he was not eager to take on the politics that come with a leadership role. He said then-Assistant Chief Cofield helped him see that he could bridge the gap between the politics, the officers and the community. She promoted him to captain when she became chief, and his duties expanded from there. He credits Captain Satterfield with teaching him the administrative side of the work without losing sight of the officers under his command.

When he was named chief, Copeland said he tried never to forget what it was like to be a patrol officer.

“I wanted every officer who worked for me to know I cared about them and was there for them,” he said. “You have 37 different personalities, dreams and wants to manage while trying to keep those expectations in line with the needs and responsibilities bestowed on me by the City of Laurens.”

A Job That Changed

A lot has changed over 26 years. When Copeland started, an officer carried handcuffs, a pistol, a Kevlar vest and a baton. Reports were handwritten and then typed into the computer by a dispatcher. Today, he said, officers keep up with far more equipment, and while technology has improved many things, he believes it has also chipped away at the ability to talk with people and truly communicate.

“The world is now at everyone’s fingertips, so they expect everything to be done so quickly,” he said.

The Work He’s Most Proud Of

Asked what he is most proud of as chief, Copeland pointed to the command staff he helped build, a group he expects to steady the department for years to come. A second point of pride, he said, was staying true to his word and being there for the people of the city to the best of his ability.

He also wishes the public understood the hours officers spend trying to solve cases, be everywhere they are needed and keep a smile on their faces.

“We see so much as officers that if you rode for a month you would be like, I don’t know how y’all do it,” he said. “The sacrifices you make as a first responder are so great.”

For Copeland, the meaning of the badge has deepened over the years. He said the George Strait song “The Weight of the Badge” captures it best: a willingness to go and do whatever it takes to help each person, no matter the situation.

Moments That Stayed

What kept him in the work through the hard stretches, he said, was simple. He loves being a police officer.

“Yes, it paid the bills, but it was the smile on people’s faces when I arrived and they told me they would be okay now that I was there,” Copeland said. “It was those moments that kept me remembering it is worth the sacrifice.”

When young officers asked him whether the work was worth it, he was honest. Yes, he told them, but it is not easy, and it definitely will not make you rich. It is a sacrifice.

His family, he said, carried the career alongside him and felt every high and low. “They see the joy, pain, stress and accomplishments along the way,” he said. “They feel it all with you.”

He also treasures the camaraderie of the job. “I enjoyed the officers I worked shifts with over the years,” Copeland said. “Those bonds are still very strong.”

Not every memory is a heavy one. Copeland still laughs about a night early in his career when he and Tracy Burke were clearing the old John Graham store. Burke opened a closet door and a mannequin fell out. Copeland said he almost shot it.

The hardest memories, he said, are the people he knew who were killed in car fatalities, cases that have stayed with him for years. He said God carried him through the toughest days. His best days on the job, without hesitation, were the ones spent helping with Special Olympics.

He is quick to point to the community members who have shown up for his officers over the years, including the American Legion, whose volunteers have helped with parades and runs so that not every officer has to work every event. People do not always realize, he said, how much time officers spend away from their families so that communities can gather.

Why Now

Copeland said he had been praying about the decision for a while. He still loves law enforcement and serving his community, but the constant worry had started to make him smile less, and the job left him little time with his family. With his son’s senior year approaching and his father needing help on the farm, the timing made sense.

What Comes Next

The first month of retirement will be spent farming with his dad and finally tackling the projects around the house that department work never left time for. He said he will not miss the late-night phone calls, but he will miss seeing the people he has worked alongside day in and day out for years.

He does not plan to disappear. Copeland said he will keep volunteering at events and with Special Olympics, stay active with the Chamber of Commerce and substitute teach at the middle schools.

His advice for his successor, Dillon Sherfield, is to keep perspective. “Make sure to take time to enjoy life while having to deal with all the issues you must deal with as chief,” Copeland said. “Let your people do their jobs and don’t take all the responsibility on yourself.”

Still Just a Phone Call Away

Copeland saved his warmest words for his wife. “My wife, Tabatha, for being with me through all of these years,” he said when asked whom he wanted to thank. “It is so true that behind every man is a great lady.”

And though his career is ending, his connection to the community is not. “I may be from Clinton, but Laurens will always be a home to me,” Copeland said. “I am still just a phone call away.”

Editor’s note: The Laurens County Buzz, along with the people of Laurens County, extends its heartfelt thanks to Chief Heath Copeland for 26 years of dedication, sacrifice and service to others. Though he served as police chief in the City of Laurens, his steady presence and genuine care reached well beyond the city limits and left a lasting mark across the county. We wish him every joy in the years ahead, on the farm, in the classroom and wherever the road leads next.

Enjoy these photos of Chief Copeland through the years…