Dorchester 2 School District

For 30 years, Mike Turner has helped guard the families, faith, and freedoms of the Lowcountry. Its more than his job; its his passion. But his career didnt start out that way. Mike grew up in a military family. His dad Claude spent two decades in the Air Forceincluding a year in South Vietnam during the war. His mom Peggy stayed busy raising five... children. Like many military families, the Turners moved. A lot. Mike spent his childhood on bases in Germany, Texas, Idaho, and Washington state before Claude retired and settled in Summerville in 1976. Mike was 13 at the time. Summerville was a sleepy little town of barely 6,000 people back then. That was a big change for a boy who had grown up living alongside families whose members came from all around the world. But Mike gradually grew to love his new hometown. He bagged groceries after school, learning the importance of hard work early on. He learned other Lowcountry values, too. His dad taught him to shoot at an early age. And Mike was raised in a family filled with faith. If it was Sunday, the Turners were in church. After graduating from Summerville High School in 1982, he studied at The Citadel. During that time he met Darcy Birdwhistell at church. They began dating, fell in love, and eventually married. Earning his bachelors degree in business administration, Mike thought he would become an accountant. But six months working at a financial services company convinced him number crunching wasnt a good career fit. He went to work at a steak house, eventually becoming its manager. It was a good enough job until a customer suggested something different. Mike was talking to a police officer, who recommended he come along and ride on patrol with him. One night was all it took. Mike realized law enforcement was his true calling. In 1990 he spent six months studying at the Dallas Police Academy in Texas, then returned home and joined the Summerville Police Department. Mike started as a patrolman and eventually rose to assistant chief. In 1998, he joined the ...Read More