LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. — Loudon County Deputy Clay Jenkins walked back into work Wednesday to follow a dream and to keep a promise.
The dream: protect and serve. The promise — to his late father.
Sergeant Chris Jenkins died in the line of duty on Feb. 2. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says a trucker — driving high after smoking marijuana — hit and killed him along I-75.
At his funeral, Clay Jenkins made a pledge to put his father's badge number back in service. "It will stay in service until I don't have a pulse any longer," he said.
He made good on that promise Wednesday, but it was a fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
"I’ve always dreamed of being my dad and following in his footsteps," Jenkins said. "So now, being his badge number, it means a lot to me."
It's not just his father's badge number. Jenkins also takes over his dad's brand-new patrol unit, a 2021 Dodge Durango with only 400 miles on it.
In the passenger seat, Clay Jenkins said he'll strap his dad's old bulletproof vest. Friends and family cleaned it up and gave it to him Wednesday.
"He'll always be with me now," Jenkins said.
He's training with his dad's K9 partner Deja Vu and plans to become fully certified as a K9 team in the coming weeks.
He said he couldn't wait to go back to work — even joking with Sheriff Tim Guider Wednesday that he "can't be late." But his return has been tough on his family who he described as scared and worried about him out on the roads. "I don't expect them to understand," Clay Jenkins said.
But he knows his dad would.
"As long as there’s a Jenkins, I’m going to carry on the legacy," he said. "I feel that the torch has been passed on to me so I’m going to take it from here."
When he called back into service on the radio, his father's longtime dispatcher was replied: "904 you have big shoes to fill. We know your dad taught you everything you need to know to fill them. We will have your back every step of the way as you bring honor to 904. We love you, Clay. We are proud of you and so is your dad."