Rick's Bio Page
My full name is Richard Allan Nelson. I was born in Gadsden, Alabama on October 29, 1960. I attended Carlisle Elementary School, Sardis High School, Snead State Junior College, Gadsden State Community College, and Jacksonville State University. While attending Junior College I was interested in medicine. I intended to become a pharmacist, but after spending a few days "on the job" in a working pharmacy I decided to reconsider my career path. I needed something with more working space.
I took a year off, joined the Army Reserve as a Field Artillery Fire Direction Controller, and went to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for about a year. After returning home I tried majoring in Broadcast Journalism, then Nursing Sciences. Neither was right for me.
One of the Army Reservists in my unit was a Police Officer with the Gadsden Police Department. I met him for lunch a few times and got to know other officers in the department. I decided that law enforcement was the career for me. More specifically, Criminal Investigations.
I got my B.S. in Forensic Science. I applied with the Chattanooga Police Department and the Huntsville Police Department. Huntsville Police Department made the first job offer, which was fantastic because Huntsville was my preferred choice for a place to live. I had applied to Chattanooga because they were hiring more officers and I thought I would have a better chance at employment there.
Since coming to work for HPD I have spent about eight years as a Uniform Patrol Officer, two years as a Theft Investigator, two years as an investigator in Criminal Intelligence and Crime Analysis, and a year as the supervisor of the Theft Unit in Investigations and Special Operations. After an assignment as Uniform Patrol Sergeant to help facilitate the transition to precincts, I was assigned to the D.A.R.E. unit as supervisor and director of the Alabama D.A.R.E. Training Center. I'm now trying to keep the Training Center funded until the new curriculum is implemented. You can learn more about that at the D.A.R.E. website.
After three long years of Graduate Studies, I received my Masters Degree in Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery on March 17, 1998.
Follow these links to learn about things that interest me:
Aviation
Academia
Boating
Cars
Motorcycles
Friends
Other Stuff
If there is something I didn't think to put in my bio, email me at [email protected] and tell me about it. I can correct it in my next update.
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