Like father, like son
Daniel McNatt following in the footsteps of dad
By Sonny Turner

He’s been in law enforcement much of his life and now his youngest son is following in his footsteps.

Stanley McNatt, chief investigator for Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, said law enforcement is something he has enjoyed over the past 32 years and even though retirement is not all that far away, he is looking forward to remaining in the field the few years he has left .

His son, Daniel, is also a local law enforcement officer having served the past seven years as a policeman with the Athens Police Department. Stanley was at his son’s side in 2003 when Daniel graduated from the Police Academy in Northeast Alabama.

During Capt. McNatt’s tenure with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department, he has worked in virtually every capacity in the department. He is the supervisor for the Investigations Division and serves as a constant training officer for enforcement and corrections officers in teaching techniques and fundamentals for case preparation.

“It has been very rewarding working here,” McNatt said. He added that he is signed up in the DROP (Deferred Retirement Plan) and plans to work a few more years before retiring.

McNatt began his career in 1978 as a dispatcher, and was promoted to deputy sheriff in 1979. He graduated from the Northeast Alabama Police Academy, and was promoted to investigator in 1981. He was promoted to lieutenant in investigation in 1987, and promoted to chief investigator in 2001.

Throughout his career he has attended constant training seminars related to investigations and techniques, including the Southern Police Institute Homicide Investigation at the University of Louisville, and voice stress analysis in Pensacola, Fla.
He constantly strives to ensure the men and women in his command attend the latest available classes and seminars to stay abreast of constantly changing techniques and innovative approaches to solving crime.

McNatt also serves as the department’s Chaplain, and provides a spiritual outlet for all of the Sheriff’s Department employees.

He and members of his family are active in their church at Hays Mill Church of Christ where Stanley teaches a Bible class.