Helping others was the motivating factor that caused Mark Garrison toenter law enforcement.
Garrison, the newest member of the Pea Ridge Police Department, is no stranger to Pea Ridge, having worked here for a little over a year four years ago.
Garrison, a native of California, graduated from Phoenix, Oregon,High School. He moved to northwest Arkansas in the early 1980s with his family. He graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Academy in 2004 and has worked for both Pea Ridge and Benton County Sheriff’s Office. As a licensed SCUBA diving instructor, he also served on the BCSO dive team as an instructor.
Several years ago, as a member of the Benton County DWI Task Force, Garrison was teaching junior high school students about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol when a woman approached him and asked him if he wasDeputy Garrison. Garrison said he was and the woman thanked him for saving her son. She told him that several years before, he had arrested her son, then 17, for DWI and what he said to him challenged the young man to change his direction in life. She told Garrison that her son joined the military and graduated top of his class.
“It’s things like that why I wanted to be a police officer,” Garrison said.
“We’re extremely happy to welcome Officer Garrison back to the force.
He’s definitely going to be an asset to us,” Chief Tim Ledbetter said.
Community, Pages 7 on 10/18/2011