CH/CB2, April 2010
On the morning of January 23, 1981, PJ Tanner put his pants on one leg at a time. However on this morning those pants were a part of his Beaufort County Sheriff Officer’s uniform. Tanner had waited for that moment for years. He knew at a young age that he wanted to “be all he could be,” and his intent was to do that through law enforcement.
Tanner spent his late teens and the first year of his twenties “just waiting to turn 21.” He didn’t want to commit to anything long-term post high school, because he knew his ultimate goal. So, as any good born-and-bred Bluffton boy would do, he farmed soy beans on the Ulmer’s Farm (now Old South Golf Links) and worked on the golf course at Moss Creek. And he counted the days.
After hitting the magical age 21, he was off and running (new shoes are also a part of the uniform!). Two years into his new career, Tanner remembers standing at the coffee pot and talking to then Sheriff Morgan McCutchen who asked Tanner what he wanted to do with his life. Tanner replied, “Well, I want your job.” A surprised McCutchen chuckled, and an immediate bond was formed. McCutchen became Tanner’s mentor, and they nurtured a decades-long relationship of mutual respect, both personally and professionally.
Tanner’s road to McCutchen’s job was a winding one. For 13 years, he moved up the ranks, working SWAT, drug task force, and internal affairs. “I was a cowboy, a sergeant answering directly to the Sheriff. I thought I could do anything,” he said.
And he did. On March 15, 1994 he filed the paperwork to run for sheriff. Continue reading ...
Tanner spent his late teens and the first year of his twenties “just waiting to turn 21.” He didn’t want to commit to anything long-term post high school, because he knew his ultimate goal. So, as any good born-and-bred Bluffton boy would do, he farmed soy beans on the Ulmer’s Farm (now Old South Golf Links) and worked on the golf course at Moss Creek. And he counted the days.
After hitting the magical age 21, he was off and running (new shoes are also a part of the uniform!). Two years into his new career, Tanner remembers standing at the coffee pot and talking to then Sheriff Morgan McCutchen who asked Tanner what he wanted to do with his life. Tanner replied, “Well, I want your job.” A surprised McCutchen chuckled, and an immediate bond was formed. McCutchen became Tanner’s mentor, and they nurtured a decades-long relationship of mutual respect, both personally and professionally.
Tanner’s road to McCutchen’s job was a winding one. For 13 years, he moved up the ranks, working SWAT, drug task force, and internal affairs. “I was a cowboy, a sergeant answering directly to the Sheriff. I thought I could do anything,” he said.
And he did. On March 15, 1994 he filed the paperwork to run for sheriff. Continue reading ...
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