Richard S. (Rick) Staples  began his career with the Jackson Police Department in 1975 where he has worked his way up through the ranks. He attended college at Jackson State Community College and is a graduate of the prestigious Northwestern University Police Administration training program, which is a one-year course of study held on campus in Evanston, Illinois.

He served as the Traffic Engineer for the City of Jackson from 1983 until 1989.  He currently serves as a Traffic Accident Reconstruction and Engineering consultant for the public and private sector.  He has been recognized by and testified in various civil and criminal courts as an expert in the fields of Traffic Accident Reconstruction, Traffic Engineering and Alcohol and its effects on the human body.  He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Association of Chiefs of Police, Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Jackson Police Association, Northwestern University Alumni Association, and Tennessee Law Enforcement Officers Association. 

He is a current member of the Jackson Rotary and a past board member of the Wo/Mens’s Rape Assistance Program (WRAP).

He has served as the Director of the 26th Judicial Drug Task Force, the Regional Director of the Tennessee Law Enforcement Officers Association, and a past Chairman of the American Red Cross Board of Directors.  He is also a past member of the West Tennessee Cerebral Palsy Center Board of Directors and the Madison County Juvenile Court Services Board of Directors.