Remembering Lt. Harrison: A Cop Who Made A Difference In My Life

Ted Harrison, an Ingham County Sheriff lieutenant, made a difference in my life in the midst of active addiction.

Photo Credit: Ingham County Sheriff’s Office

As a recovering addict who spent almost 15 years in active addiction in the same area, I grew familiar with a lot of cops and members of law enforcement. The police I had the most encounters with, particularly in my later years, were Ingham County Sheriff deputies.

Even while on probation, I simply could not stop using, so it was a relatively common occurrence for Ingham County cops to show up at my house. I have to say, they weren’t ever cruel to me, and most of them showed me a lot of compassion.

The one who showed the most was Ted Harrison, a lieutenant for Ingham County. I found out this week that Lt. Harrison passed away, and I felt the need to share my thoughts on him and how law enforcement can serve a valuable purpose to the recovery community.

Harrison was a Seargent for a long time around here, so I always knew him as “Seargent Harrison.” The first time I met Sgt. Harrison was seven or eight years ago after I overdosed. He was one of the responding officers that showed up, and most officers would have just let it go after I arrived at the hospital, as long as there weren’t charges to be filed (there was not). Not him. He showed up at my house the following week to check on me and make sure I was alright. He met with me for close to an hour, learning more about me, asking me about my story, and what he could do to help.

It was the first time I ever met a cop who seemed to truly care about my well-being. From that point on, Sgt. Harrison would call me every two weeks. If I was in jail or in rehab (which was often during that time), he would call my mom to ask about me. It was a bond and relationship that grew over the coming years, and it opened my eyes. He would constantly drill into me how my actions were affecting my daughter. That was one constant he would always talk about, and it resonated with me.

Unfortunately, during those years, I was not completely ready for true change. I wanted to stay sober, but I would constantly relapse every two or three months because I was still stuck in a negative mindset. I always felt so ashamed when Sgt. Harrison would call after I relapsed. I hated having to tell him I was using again, and I would not lie to him. Not once, though, did he ever judge. He always made me feel better and that I mattered.

According to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Facebook posting announcing his death, he battled a long illness, and that would explain why we lost touch. I regret today that I never got to tell him I have been sober for three years. My life is completely different today, and I think he would have liked to know that. However, due to him getting promoted and then battling an illness, it makes sense why we lost touch.

Sgt. Harrison taught me a valuable lesson, though, and one I will never forget. Police can be a valuable tool for the recovery community if they even showed half of the compassion that Harrison did. Police officers have one of the toughest jobs in the country, and they deal with a lot of very bad people, so I am not advocating a soft-on-crime approach. I am just saying that most addicts deserve to be treated with dignity unless they are violent offenders. There is a balance between holding us accountable and being able to show care, and he demonstrated it perfectly.

The world needs more people like Sgt. Harrison, so it lost a good one. He was more than a cop; he was a good person. And in my time of active addiction, he was always right there to support me. There are a lot of people that I can confidently say that if they weren’t in my life, I wouldn’t be in the place I am today. He is one of them.