Richard Raines doesn't get paid for the time he dedicates to the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, but he loves his work, nonetheless.  As a Reserve Deputy, Raines has helped in the development of an emergency evacuation plan for the county detention center.  The former Marine says that lending a hand to his home county law enforcement agency has been a rewarding experience for him.

Recently, the American Jail Association honored Raines for his volunteer work in Fairfax County.  He talked last week with The Corrections Connection about what the AJA Volunteer of the Year award means to him and what his days are like as a Reserve Deputy.

Q: Do you have a background in corrections?

Raines: The big thing about my background is that I spent 34 years in the Marine Corps. as an infantry officer.  I always wanted to be a Marine - from the day I graduated from the University of Richmond, I was commissioned in the Marines.  I had been reserve for four years before that.

At one point [during my career in the Marines], I had the supervisory authority over the corrections authority at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.  I did a lot of security work in the Marine Corps.  After I got out, I went to work for Sprint International as a program manager.  I was involved in installing large-scale, multinational data networks. 

I retired [from Sprint] three years ago and I was looking for something that was interesting and challenging to do.  I happened to look around and I saw the reserve position for the [Fairfax County] Sheriff's Office, so I got involved in it. 

Q: What does it take to become a Reserve Deputy in Fairfax County?

Raines: We have a training course.  Fairfax County has a criminal justice academy that all deputies and police officers go through.  Reserve Deputies attend a modified version of that academy.  It entails everything that a regular, paid law enforcement [person] would go through, [we] just [spend] less time doing it. 

Q: What types of projects have you been involved in while volunteering for the Sheriff's Office?

Raines: And our sheriff - his vision of our program was that he encouraged the reserves to bring their work experience and training and expertise to bear in the sheriff's office.  So, at the same time I joined, he was beginning what was known as a unit called the emergency planning and response unit.  Our job was, in light of 9/11, to review all of the emergency plans, processes procedures and vulnerabilities for the Fairfax County judicial complex.  We went through [and] we updated all the procedures for the courts and then we decided to work on the adult detention center.  This is where it got really interesting because we decided that, in case of an emergency, you had to have a plan for the evacuation of the facility.  And everybody we talked to said yes, that is true, but it's too hard.  There was one previous plan that we heard of up in Monmouth County, New Jersey, I think, and they tried their plan.  I think they evacuated 20 or 40 people as a [trial] for it.  So we went ahead and wrote our plan and last June 5, we conducted a full-scale exercise to test our plan.  We did a full-scale evacuation of the jail.  We had a lockdown of the jail and then we brought in role players local cadets, reserves from all over the area, county employees - you name it.  We brought them in and they were then staged on the cellblocks.  When it came time to evacuate [their] floor, they were put on chains and led out to the assembly area.  It validated our plan.  It also showed us a bunch of weaknesses, so we have re-written the plan.  Since then, we have had a great deal of interest from other agencies as to how [we] did it and what [our plan was].  We had a briefing that we have given locally in the state.  We also gave it at two national conferences on not only our plan, but on the process [of building the plan] and those decisions that you have to make to tailor your own plan.  Every facility is different, so one plan won't fit all.  That's what I do.  I come in and just bring the expertise I had in the Marine Corps. and basically apply it here.  Not only has it been interesting, [but] I get a lot out of it.  I really enjoy the camaraderie of the people because we have a great organization here.

Q: What us your typical day like?

Raines: I get here about 7:15 in the morning and I leave about 11:30 or 12.  It depends on what the [agenda] is for [the day].  We can do anything, [like] work on plans to attend county board meetings.  We just finished a major emergency exercise with the county and they're now doing a critique as to what we need to do as an agency to better equip ourselves for the next emergency.

Q:  Are there advantages to being a volunteer rather than a paid employee?

Raines: Yes.  Any time I want, I can quit and I don't have to be politically correct.  Of course, being a volunteer, you don't get paid anything, but that is beside the point.  It is a rewarding experience - it really is. 

Q: What do you find to be most rewarding about your volunteer position in Fairfax County?

Raines: The camaraderie. 

Q: Do you work anywhere else?

Raines: I spent 132 hours here last month, so there's not a lot of time left.

Q: What does it mean to you that, as a volunteer, you were awarded by AJA?

Raines: Not only is it a great honor for me, but it is really a great honor for our whole agency.  If the program weren't set up like it is, then I wouldn't show up [to volunteer]. 

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

Raines: I go to the gym and walk my dog.  I am a widower.

Q: How much longer do you plan to volunteer?

Raines: Until they throw me out.