'Law enforcement is diverse': Tough family background inspires Augusta deputy's life of service

Richmond County Sheriff's Office Deputy Crystal Battle started her career in law enforcement with a goal of better understanding her parents, who were both incarcerated, leading to her adoption at just 4 years old.

That initial fascination has blossomed into a heroic career in law enforcement, with multiple lives saved.

"I wanted to know what they went though in their lives," Battle said. "I wanted to see what they were doing [behind bars]."

She applied for a job at a prison and was drawn to the career.

When she moved to Augusta, she started working at the jail. After a few months, she decided to move up to road patrol.

"I started seeing there were a lot of guys and not many girls on road patrol," she said. "I was like, 'I want to change that.' I saw a couple of women here and there in different divisions, but they weren't actually on the road. So I thought, I want to see how it feels to be in that position. I got here and I've been loving it ever since."

Battle receives accommodations for 2023 rescue

Throughout her career, Battle has shown heroic action during multiple life-threatening calls.

On March 19, 2023, Battle and two other deputies responded to a crash in the parking lot of the post office on Wrightsboro Road.

When she arrived at the scene, she saw a Kia Forte rolled over on its roof with an unresponsive elderly female driver still seat belted upside down in the car.

The deputies were able to rescue the woman from the car and Battle started CPR, eventually saving the woman's life.

"It was my first time ever performing CPR on an actual human being," she said. "It was a really scary moment, but your mind just goes into rescue mode. I want to save this person. I want to make sure they're OK. I went back to my training and everything clicked in my brain immediately."

She performed CPR for five to seven minutes, giving more than 100 compressions per minute until firefighters arrived.

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However, that call wasn't the first time Battle saved a life.

Four years ago, when she was in the Field Training Officer Program, a man ran his car under a tractor-trailer on Peach Orchard Road and she was the first to respond.

"I immediately got out, went to the car, attempted to save his life, but unfortunately he was already [dead]," she said. "I noticed an infant in the backseat who was completely knocked out and I took her out and began to softly rub her chest until she woke up. I was happy that she was alive because her car seat was not secure."

Battle said the baby girl suffered a cut to the top right side of her head, but was taken to the hospital and survived.

"Unfortunately her mother was already [dead] as well, so we got in contact with DFCS and were grateful to get her turned over to them," she said.

Advantages in handling sensitive calls, inspiring other women

Battle said women have a presence and skills that can be incredibly useful in certain cases – specifically, when responding to domestic violence calls.

"I go on various domestic calls every day and I would say people are more drawn to me because I'm a female," she said. "When I show up to the scene, the whole time they're talking, they are making eye contact with me. I feel like people are getting more comfortable with women because our demeanor and our image is not aggressive to them."

She said women are also great communicators and can help deescalate a situation.

"I've taken it from 100 to zero quickly, just by being a female deputy there," Battle said. "People are just so much more comfortable. Sometimes [911] callers will even request a female deputy respond to the scene. ... It just helps to open that door for people to also see that law enforcement is diverse. It's not just a male thing. There's women out there and we can do this. Everybody can do it."

However, Battle said her favorite calls are those where she is able to develop relationships with the juvenile community.

"I like to go out to calls with juveniles or runaways that don't want to be home and talk to them, give them advice and be there for them," she said. "When I see them later on and they're doing good, that makes me happy. That gives me drive to go to work every day and be able to know that I'm making a difference in somebody's life."

While her impact is still growing, she said she has already helped two of her younger sisters find their paths.

"My youngest two sisters are out of high school now and one of them wants to [get into law enforcement]," Battle said. "My other sister is doing juvenile justice, so I feel like I made an impact on them. I'm proud of that – even though they're not on road patrol, they chose to do something in law enforcement."

This story is part series honoring area law enforcement officers during National Police Week.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: A look at Richmond County Deputy Crystal Battle's life of service