Back in 2005, 15-year-old T.C. Hingson was putting the finishing touches to his Eagle Project, doing a bit of landscaping and putting up the arbor at the Live Oak Garden Club. As a member of Live Oak’s Boy Scout Troop 693, Hingson was no stranger to helping and serving others; it’s part of the Scout’s motto, after all. Hingson’s hard work earned him the Eagle Scout title, but that was just the start of his mission to serve.

Ten years later, 26-year-old Hingson is now a patrol officer with the Live Oak Police Department, a husband to Kalie and father to two-year-old Easton and a baby on the way. He’s been with the LOPD for just over a year and recently became a K9 officer with bloodhound Junior, who he helped train alongside Junior’s former partner, Justin Bates.

Hingson’s chosen career comes as little surprise since he’s been “born and raised” around law enforcement, he said.

“My dad was in law enforcement for 27 years, my mom works at the state attorney’s office, my aunt works at the sheriff’s office. It’s just a family thing,” Hingson said.

After graduating from the police academy at North Florida Community College in 2008, Hingson, a Suwannee County local, came back to work as an agricultural law enforcement officer over the next five years. One of his more memorable moments in that position came while he was stationed at the Suwannee/Hamilton county line in 2011. A wanted fugitive with several federal warrants happened to break down on the interstate near his station, leading to a 9.5 hour manhunt in Hamilton County.

“My supervisor stopped to check him and I pulled up to assist him,” told Hingson. “In the process of running his name and trying to find out who he was, he actually ran from us. It turned out he was a federal fugitive.”

Hingson and other officers searched using K9 units from afternoon until 4:30 in the morning, finally catching and arresting the fugitive. For his efforts during this manhunt and for his outstanding performance throughout the rest of the year, Hingson was named the State Law Enforcement Chiefs’ Association Officer of the Year in 2012.

Catching the bad guys is part of what makes Hingson’s career so gratifying for him, he said, along with the opportunities to help families in need.

“When something bad happens to someone or they’re at a bad point in their life, you get to help them out,” Hingson said. “It’s just a rewarding feeling when you catch the person that’s done something wrong to them.”

Hingson’s values today can partly be attributed to his years as a scout as he still carries those lessons learned. Looking at the years ahead, he hopes to continue working with the LOPD as an investigator or detective, and Hingson has plenty to look forward to in his personal life as his family gets a new addition later this year.