John Guinn

About John Guinn

Summary of Qualifications:Empathetic problem-solver and contextual thinker with more than 20 years of federal government experience managing national-level pilot programs and regional initiatives. Excellent written and oral communicator, coalition builder, and active listener whose resourcefulness and curiosity provide relevant and tangible help to others. Input-driven collector of information, ideas, artifacts, and relationships to enable growth and performance. Understanding and supportive servant leader, with 15 years of supervisory and managerial experience at the national, state, and local levels, who has faith in the links among all things and that almost every event has meaning. Personal:I can be realistic and optimistic, but I can’t be both at the same time. I am 54-years old. I was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but I grew up in Ringgold, Georgia. I am a Christian - a sinner saved by grace. I am the son of a welder who died at 56. I am the son of a successful flight attendant, now retired, who only had a high school education. I have been the husband of an extremely talented hairdresser for 24 years. I am the father of a natural artist and a would-be industrial designer, who is 21. I am kind-hearted like my father and opinionated like my mother. I believe that right will triumph over wrong. I am a good and loyal friend. I am fair. I try very hard to see things from other people’s perspectives. Overall, it is well with my soul.Professional:Since October 2021, I have been privileged to work as a background investigator with Internal Affairs at the Hamilton County Sheriff\'s Office (HCSO) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The work is interesting and rewarding. I am proud to help HCSO find and process qualified applicants for existing vacancies. In December 2020, I retired after 23 years of service with the U.S. Border Patrol. I gained 15 years of supervisory and managerial experience serving the agents and professional staff in Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana, working in the cubicles and the conference rooms of U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, DC, instructing in the classrooms of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico, and patrolling the levees and farmland along the Rio Grande River in Brownsville, Texas.

Experience

1. Background Investigator - Internal Affairs

   Hamilton County Sheriff's Office

   Oct 2021 — Present · Chattanooga, TN, US

   As a civilian background investigator Internal Affairs, I conduct and compile professional background investigations for applicants under consideration for hire within the Hamilton County (TN) Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). I have a thorough knowledge of the principles and practices associated with professional background checks and pre-employment inquiries. I exercise considerable independent judgment while performing these duties. My essential duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to (1) reviewing completed background interview forms, checking for completeness, accuracy, inconsistencies, errors, omissions, and falsifications;(2) planning and coordinating polygraph examinations for each applicant;(3) obtaining and reviewing records from federal, state, and municipal law enforcement agencies to determine if the applicant was a witness, victim, suspect, or perpetrator of any crime;(4) obtaining and reviewing arrest reports, witness statements, and other documents to determine if the applicant has the appropriate background to become a HCSO employee;(5) interviewing employers, co-workers, neighbors, law enforcement officials, military personnel, members of the applicant’s family, and personal references;(6) developing second and third level references and making additional inquiries to assist in determining credibility of statements; and (7) preparing detailed and complete investigative briefs for each person being considered to allow a deciding official(s) to draw reasonable and logical conclusions about the prospective applicant.

Education

• University of Georgia - Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, History

  1989 — 1992

• Dalton State College

  Transferred to the University of Georgia at Athens, History

  1987 — 1989

• The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

  Master of Science - MS, Criminal Justice

  1994 — 1997