Mr Ridings became a member of the Ft. wayne , Indiana Police Department in 1967 at the age of 21 years. To this day he is still the youngest person to be sworn in as an active off.icer. He served in many different areas of the department including traffic, narcotics, detective and precinct commander. He retired in 1990 with the rank of !st. Sergeant and was commaning Officer of the A Shift. He Opened his own business in 1988 and is president of Ridings Flowers & Gifts in Ft Wayne. He is married to Bell County High School Grad Janice Smith Ridings .