Brannen worked on drug investigations with the TCSO for 18 months, some of that work undercover. When Bob Keele, who was then head of the TCSO’s investigative division, was shot during a domestic dispute in 1977, Brannen’s duties expanded to include investigations of murders, armed robberies, rapes, burglaries, check forgeries and a variety of crimes. Two other investigators in the department “worked dope” Brannen said. Keele left the department in 1979 to become a college instructor and Walker promoted Brannen to run TCSO investigations. Brannen said he asked out of the department in 1991 when co-worker Raymond Merritt was killed.

“Sheriff Walker said he would think about it but it never happened,” Brannen said.

Brannen said he asked to be moved out of investigations because, in part, there sometimes seems to be “no light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It’s a burden to have to look someone in the face and tell them you don’t know who killed their loved one,” Brannen said.

In 1996, Brannen said he asked newly-elected Vowell to be transferred.

“He asked me to stay and he promised to get some help and he did,” Brannen said.

Brannen said Vowell put two new positions in the criminal investigation’s budget the next year.

In 2003, as part of the department’s reorganization, Brannen was transferred to the front office and supervised 11 people who are responsible for entering search warrants, subpoenas, civil papers, accidents and juvenile complaints in the computer system’s data base and into the Georgia Crime Information Center’s data base. Brannen continues to be in charge of the sex offender registry. He also handles fugitive warrants issued from other states and firearm permit applications as well as other duties previously performed by his friend and co-worker, Major Jack Woolard, who died in April.

Woolard’s old office is now Brannen’s, but Brannen said he is in no way attempting to replace Woolard.

“I can’t ever be Jack Woolard,” Brannen said. “He was ‘The’ Major Jack Woolard and I won’t ever forget him.”

Time have changed since Brannen began his work in law enforcement.

“It is a totally different ball game,” Brannen said. “It seems the group under the age of 25 don’t respect their parents and they don’t care about their teachers. They don’t have respect for us or even respect for themselves.”

Some of the “young crowd,” Brannen said, believe they gain an identity and “become somebody” when they get into trouble. He said parents should take the brunt of the responsibility for those attitudes.

“Some people’s parenting skills aren’t the best,” Brannen said. “I think that unless this thing turns around, we are headed for a scary future. Ultimately, the responsibility still goes back to the home and parents should be making a difference.”

Lack of appropriate punishment is also a problem, Brannen said, and things were different when he was a child.