Colorful history leads man to top spot at KSP post

Saturday, November 06, 2004

As the newly appointed commander of Kentucky State Police Post 3 in Bowling Green, Capt. Jeff Mayberry has come a long way from his days as a long-haired, double-pierced undercover hit man and drug dealer with KSP in the mid-90s.

Ive been a hit man. Ive been a dope dealer. Ive lived in housing projects and I didnt grow up in a housing project, he said. You have to learn how to survive in that kind of environment.

Even more than his time with the Lexington-based eastern division of what was then known as the KSPs Drug Enforcement and Special Investigations, Mayberry counts as the highlight of his 18-year KSP career his time as a road trooper.

The high-profile job was his most rewarding thus far, Mayberry said.

When youre out here in uniform in one of these marked cars, people are aware of you and know youre around, he said. They start looking to you to stop this problem or solve this crisis for them. Thats very rewarding.

Mayberry added that, in an increasingly complicated world where the various tasks of law enforcement are becoming more diverse and specialized, the troopers who patrol the roads are the backbone of KSP.

Mayberry has been surrounded by law enforcement officers all his life.

His wife, Linda Smith, was Post 3 commander for a year in 1998 and eventually became deputy commissioner, the first female to do so.

He credited his father, 30-year KSP veteran George Mayberry, with being a role model in life and career.

It seemed like the people in the community had a lot of respect for my dad because it seemed he always chose the right thing to do, Mayberry said. I learned a lot about ethics and that has a strong bearing on you when you are young.

When I was a kid, very young, I remember the uniform and cars in the driveway. I wasnt that cognizant to what he actually did but I knew he was doing something special, he said. As I got older, I developed a lot of respect for him.

During his first month or so as commander at the Bowling Green post, Mayberry said he has also developed a great deal of respect for the Post 3 officers, whom he got to know very quickly after 41-year-old Russell Sublett of Oakland barricaded himself inside the Louisville Road home of his former boss, forcing state police and federal agents to wait him out for three days.

I got a pretty good dose in the first couple weeks with the stand-off. I found out very quickly what kind of people I had to work with here and I was very pleased, Mayberry said, adding credit to the numerous other agencies involved in the stand-off.

Post 3 Sgt. Tommy Smith reflected Mayberrys praise.

Hes been a very good commander, Smith said. He was initiated very fast with the incident we had on Louisville Road with the barricade and he showed that he was a very good leader and brought that whole situation, with the help of others, to a peaceful resolution. I hope he stays around a while.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700