As a child, Glenn spent lots of time playing with his brother, Geoffrey. One day, a Horseheads police officer came to their mother's door, pointed to his car, and said, "Are they yours?" There sat Glenn and Geoffrey in the back seat. They had ridden their bikes in to the road and were almost hit by a car. Geoffrey was old enough to realize he had been wrong, and was crestfallen. Glenn on the other hand was beaming. He kept saying, “Mommy, I rode in a police car!, Mommy, I rode in a police car!”
As he got older, Glenn developed a passion for sports. He loved football, baseball and basketball and loved to play golf. Though he was never completely successful in his efforts to spark a love of sports in his father, Glenn did occasionally get his dad and brother out on the golf course where they excelled at being poor golfers.
Glenn was very good with his hands and loved to remodel and do “fixit” jobs around the house. He was interested in photography and was the “official” photographer for family events. Those who knew him knew his "true loves" - His family, his job as a Deputy Sheriff, and the community he served.
After working for several years as an investigator with the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office, Glenn fulfilled his dream of becoming an Onondaga County Deputy Sheriff. He was just a regular guy, going out every day just to do his job. He didn’t strive to be a supercop - he just wanted to help people. On November 29, 2003 he stopped to help yet another citizen of Onondaga County. In one of those early season snowstorms, a vehicle slid off of the road and he was assisting the motorist. As he went to get flares out of his trunk, another vehicle spun out of control on the icy pavement and struck Glenn. Despite the heroic efforts of rescue workers and hospital staff, Glenn succumbed to his injuries.
Captain Jim Rinella of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office aptly described Searles by saying, “He was just a good guy. You know how there’s just some good guys? Glenn was one of them.” Can there be a higher compliment?