The Observer Newspapers | Officer Keeps Busy With Evening Schedule, Diverse Hobbies

October 10 , 2008

Officer Keeps Busy With Evening Schedule, Diverse Hobbies

The Town of Herndon police place a strong emphasis on community policing and their partnership with the community. In this series, The Observer will profile officers who work and live near or grew up in the Herndon community.

By Rebecca Plevin

Observer Staff Writer

Herndon police officer Hank Ruffin studied biology at Pennsylvania State University, with the goal of becoming a doctor, and he later worked as a massage therapist and a security guard. But when he joined the Herndon squad about a year ago, he said he knew he had finally found the right profession. Police work, he said, is "something I was destined to do."

Since joining the Herndon police, Ruffin has worked the evening shift from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. He said he had to become accustomed to working these non-traditional hours and now that he is used to it, he said he is glad to be a member of a very busy squad. During the evening, he said, officers see traffic accidents, drunk-driving incidents, domestic issues, and everything in between. He said it is a busy time to be working, simply due to the "volume of people on the streets."

Some of Ruffin's hobbies are closely related to his work in law enforcement. He is a National Rifle Association-certified pistol instructor, and he said he enjoys going to shooting ranges to improve his aim. He said shooting a gun is a necessary skill for police work, though it is "one we hope to never use." He also enjoys teaching friends how to safely handle and shoot a pistol, he said.

He said he has been practicing martial arts, primarily judo, on and off for about 20 years. He said some of the defensive tactics he has learned through martial arts could be transferred to police work, and there have been a few times when he has needed to employ some of these tactics to restrain and handcuff somebody.

Ruffin is an avid reader and said, "you will never find me anywhere without a book." To prove his point, he pulled a copy of Lee Child's "Tripwire" out of his bag. He said he especially enjoys reading crime dramas and named James Patterson as another favorite author.

But some of Ruffin's pastimes are not directly related to his police work. He said he loves fishing because he enjoys both relaxing in the outdoors and eating fresh seafood. When he fishes in salt water, he said he likes catching croaker and speckled trout; in freshwater, he said he catches bass and panfish. When he catches a load of fish, Ruffin said he enjoys holding a fish fry for his friends and family.

Ruffin is also a huge Star Wars fan and said he owns just about every "Star Wars" book ever written. He said he is drawn to the genre because creator George Lucas "truly picked the best elements out of our world history" and created a fantasy world.

Now that he has found the right profession, Ruffin said he plans to spend many years with the Herndon police. He said he especially likes the job because he is constantly learning something new and that for learning purposes, "there is nothing like being out there and working the streets."