Dispatch Lieutenant Susan Taylor has retired from her position in the Freestone County Sheriff’s Office after eighteen years of service.
No worries about her famous Halloween and Christmas light pole decorations though, she will be continuing on with those.

County Dispatcher, Susan Taylor, receives a farewell hug from Chief Deputy Devin Mowrey (left) and County Sheriff Jeremy Shipley (right) during a party in her honor.

Taylor began her time in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s helping out part-time, as needed. As many know, her father, Charles Nicholson, was Freestone County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy when he retired in 1995.

Taylor mentions that her father being a member of the Sheriff’s department is part of why she has ties to the jail and that she, “watched this building being built.”

Her time has seen her work underneath three different sheriffs, and mentions how tight a group they become working together like they do, “It’s all family,” she says.

She quickly responded, “It’s very stressful,” when asked how hard is it to be a dispatcher.

She goes on to talk about how one minute everything is happy and great, and then the next minute tragedy can strike.

Dispatchers page all Fire Departments, both EMS services, two police departments, State Troopers, and the Sheriff’s Deputies, as opposed to how you might see it on television where it is sent to various people depending on type of call.

Additionally, Taylor mentions the reward of being able to help somebody, yet the difficulty of it being a small and tight-knit community and how hard it can be when you know the person calling in.

Freestone County Sheriff Jeremy Shipley said that, “She has always been there every time we needed her, every time our Freestone County citizens needed her.”

A great vacation awaits Taylor upon her retirement, the perfect way to end such a demanding job.

Dispatchers are amazing people, who handle situations that can be incredibly difficult or incredibly rewarding with no warning of what the day might hold.

Dispatch Lieutenant Susan Taylor was no exception to that rule.

Enjoy your retirement and your vacation up into the mountains.