City of Eupora honors Police Chief Lawrence Caradine after 18 years of service
EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Eupora held a retirement reception in honor of its outgoing Police Chief, Lawrence Caradine.
After 18 years of protecting and serving, with most of that tenure being in the City of Eupora, Chief Lawrence Caradine is hanging up his badge and vest. And he’s picking up the keys — to his RV.
To most people, Lawrence Caradine is known as Quidell. And for the past 18 years, he’s been a fixture at the Eupora Police Department. A staunch advocate for community policing, Caradine and his officers have been a constant presence in Eupora.
But, now he’s looking forward to traveling and seeing his children and grandchildren. The first African American to ever hold the position, Caradine has made a mark on Eupora. But law enforcement wasn’t originally in his plans.
“When I used to work at Plymouth Tube and they kept saying — I had all my friends being a police officer. And they were like Quidell won’t you become a police officer. I said you know when you young, you think a little bit crazy,” Caradine said. “I said ‘Man why I want to become a police officer? Y’all ain’t nothing but snitches with blue suits on y’all ain’t gone do nothing but snitch on me. But as you get older, its not a snitch, its helping the community.”
Caradine has faced obstacles along his journey. When the opportunity came for him to become Chief of his hometown, his children were a little weary. But, Caradine says it opened doors for not only his family, but many other black children who had never seen anyone of color hold the position.
“I became chief and then I motivated my kids and they saw this could happen because they were like ‘Well then Daddy you ain’t gone become chief, you’re in a small town.’ But it’s opened doors for everybody to see you can become chief long as you put forth the effort and do what’s right,” Caradine said.
Mayor Lamar Dumas says Caradine’s leadership has livened up the department and city government.
“Well Chief Caradine’s leadership has been one that’s been kind of fluent. He’s real involved and was real involved in the community. He put a little life in the police department with the city,” Duman said.
Caradine said he’s going to miss it but he’s going to enjoy the latter portion of his life and it definitely won’t be empty.
He and his wife, former Ackerman police chief Martha Caradine also own a food truck, The Purple Plate.
