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Move Forward. Don't delay your future! Apply now! Register for online or traditional classes.Move Forward. Don't delay your future! Apply now!. Register for online or traditional classes.
Tennessee Reconnect and Promise. Graduating high school seniors can attend tuition-free. Free tuition for adults.Tennessee Reconnect and Promise. Graduating high school seniors can attend tuition-free. Free tuition for adults.
Online degrees available. Choose from seven completely online programs.Online degrees available. Choose from seven completely online programs.

News: Deputy using Roane State to boost investigative skills

Lucy Chantler

Blount County Deputy Lucy Chantler will graduate from Roane State Community College in May.

Nov. 13, 2019

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

She's found the career of her dreams.

Now, Blount County Sheriff's Department Deputy Lucy Chantler wants to move up in the ranks, and Roane State Community College courses are helping out.

Chantler, a Maryville resident, is seeking to become a crime scene investigator and has taken classes with accompanying honors projects at Roane State that she hopes will help lead to that goal.

In her biology class, her honors project described how human fingerprints develop and remain for life, even if a suspect tries to remove them.

For Biology II, she studied how environmental factors affect the rate of human decomposition. Chantler said she made a presentation in her speech class about pressure point defensive tactics that could be used in subduing a suspect.

Now, she's taking Professor Art Lee's geology class, and her honors project involves linking evidence like distinctive sand found wedged in a tire tread or on clothing back to a crime scene.

She said she collected sand from two beaches, along with sand found in Walland, Tenn., and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "I'm trying to figure out if those samples are distinguishable enough to be used as evidence when comparing the site sample to evidence found on a suspect," she said.

Chantler, 35, has been a Blount County deputy for three years. "I was looking for a challenge, and I love it," she said of her current job. "I don't see myself doing anything else. This will be my career."

She likes how each shift on duty is different. "You never really know what you'll come across on a call," she said. "I enjoy helping people who are having a bad day, and this job helps me appreciate what I have and how far I've come."

"I want to advance my career, and in order to do that, having a college degree would really help me," Chantler said.

She said she applied at two area community colleges, and the enrollment process at Roane State had fewer hassles.

Chantler is finishing up requirements for an associate's degree and will be graduating in May. Long term, she's considering seeking a bachelor's degree in environmental studies, but that plan hinges on her upcoming shift schedules at the sheriff's department.

Overall, "It's been enjoyable," she said of her college experiences. "I've had some professors who were very helpful. They went above where I thought they'd go to help their students." Chantler said she enjoyed her biology classes and wound up pleasantly surprised at an online literature course. "I didn't think I'd like that, but I did," she said.

Along with her regular duties, Chantler is on the Blount Special Operations Response Team, is a certified public safety scuba diver, a crime scene support officer, and is part of an innovative program of deputies trained as emergency medical responders to assist the local ambulance service on medical calls.

Roane State is a two-year college providing transfer programs, career-preparation programs and continuing education. Founded in 1971, the college has campuses in Crossville, Harriman, Huntsville, Jamestown, Knoxville, LaFollette, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Wartburg and Clinton.

For more information, visit roanestate.edu or call (865) 882-4554.

Remember, eligible adults can now attend Roane State tuition-free with the new Reconnect grant. Learn more at www.roanestate.edu/reconnect.

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