Boone officers will

soon book several

retirement parties
By Melanie Davis
melanie@mountaintimes.com

The Boone Police Department will be losing six personnel, including five out of the 13 ranking positions, to retirement over the next two years.

Phyllis Denney, a master police officer working now in administration, will be the first to retire on Aug. 1, after more than 30 years with the department. Denney was hired in 1978 as a records clerk, after working two years as the deputy register of deeds for Watauga County.

She said during the early years with the department, she also worked as a dispatcher as needed.

Throughout her career with Boone PD, Denney has assisted with the drug task force, participating in surveillance efforts and the execution of search warrants.

Before the law enforcement complex was built on Hodges Gap Road, arrestees were processed at the Blowing Rock Road Boone police station.

Denney would occasionally be called upon to search female arrestees.

Currently, Denney is responsible for the financial aspects of the department, such as budget and payroll. She is also one of only three in the department authorized to enter the evidence and property storage area to register or check out items for court appearances.

Denney said, “It was a different world in 1978 for the Boone PD. There were 14 officers when I started, now there are 44.”

“Retirement was a big, hard decision. You wait and wait for the day to come, then suddenly it’s here and I wonder what I am going to do without waking up everyday to come to work,” she said.

Although, she does have plans. “My parents are getting older and I want to spend more time with them,” Denney said, adding that she hopes to travel and pick up some new hobbies.

Captain of investigations William Greene is the next to retire on Oct. 1 of this year. At the time of his retirement he will have 28 and one half years with the Boone PD. Greene may be leaving this career, but has no intentions of remaining idle. He said that although he will take some time to complete household projects, he is also considering a few second career options.

Greene chose law enforcement as his career of choice because of the structured nature and variety of experiences. He had initially considered military options, but law enforcement held a greater appeal. Of the experiences over his 28 years with Boone PD, a few really stand out to Greene.

The first was his involvement with the successful conviction of Daniel Lee in 1990. Lee was convicted of first degree murder, first degree kidnapping and first degree rape in a case involving two local women. Greene said it was the strength of character he saw in the witness, as well as the cooperation between multiple agencies that makes that case stand out. Lee has since died in prison.

The second experience Greene mentioned was the opportunity to attend three months of Federal Bureau of Investigation training in 2004. His roommate during the three months was a law enforcement officer from Estonia, a country near Russia. Greene said it was interesting to share stories and learn about differences in law enforcement on a global level.

The position has held numerous rewards for Greene. The most rewarding of which he said, is “Being able to help the victim of a crime. That situation is the most important thing in their life at that time.”

Sgt. Jim Harrison will also be retiring on Oct. 1 of this year. Harrison will have served a collective 32 years in law enforcement, with the last 17 years with the Boone PD. He is currently a sergeant in the administrative unit. Harrison oversees hiring processes for the department, uniforms and equipment distribution, officer training, fleet maintenance and property and evidence control.

Harrison worked for the police department in Lenoir prior to returning to his native Watauga County. While at the Lenoir department, Harrison served as the police coordinator for the Crimestoppers for that area. He helped establish the Crimestoppers in Boone in 1987, prior to his position with the Boone department.

Harrison continues to serve as the Boone Crimestoppers coordinator.

Harrison’s interest in law enforcement took hold while he was serving four years with the U.S. Air Force. He began studying criminal justice while serving on the air craft maintenance crews.

In retirement, Harrison said he plans to “make up for lost time” with his four children and two granddaughters. He also plans to take his hobby of photography a little more seriously
Though he added, “It feels strange. After all these years of working, now I will have no job.”

Harrison could have retired three years ago. “I hope it is a good choice. I tried to really think about it. Thirty-two years of law enforcement is a long time,” he said.

“There is another group of people that I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with that I must mention, and that is my board of directors of the Watauga County Crimestoppers program,” he said.

Patrol Lt. Mike Norris is next in line to retire on Jan. 1, 2009, after 24 years with Boone PD. Norris is a watch commander over a patrol squad while on duty. He is also the training supervisor for new hires. Partial reporting of crime statistics and civil citation collections round out his duties with the department.

Norris said the rewards and challenges of the position can tie closely together. “Everyday we deal with people under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or the abuse of prescription medication. You don’t know to expect,” he said.

The challenges for Norris lie in seeing the effects those drugs have on a person’s life. While the positive shines through when it is evident that an arrest is going to make a difference in the person’s life.

He spoke of a driving while impaired arrest from several years ago. The suspect was difficult and abusive.

However, several days after the arrest, the man came into the police station looking for Norris.

The man had come simply to thank Norris, and told him that arrest had led him to evaluate his dependence on alcohol and seek help.

Norris said that situation is the reward in law enforcement, adding that the reason he went into this career was to positively impact the lives of others. “To truly make a difference overshadows all the bad an officer sees,” he said.

Norris said he had been considering retirement over the last year. “My wife has already retired and now we are ready to travel,” he said.

Patrol Lt. Johnny R. Reese will retire one month later on Feb. 1, 2009 after 28 years with the Boone PD.

His interest in law enforcement began after taking an introduction to criminal justice course. Reese was a volunteer EMT for the Boone Fire Department, and already held an interest in helping the public.

Reese maintains his EMT license and it has been useful in his law enforcement career.

In the mid-1980s he was the first on scene to a 4 a.m. distress call at an apartment complex. Upon arrival, he discovered a pregnant woman and a baby that did not feel like waiting for an ambulance. Reese delivered the healthy baby before assistance arrived.

The job has its challenges for Reese.

“There are times when an officer has to make a quick decision on a problem that has been there for years,” he said.

Reese does not yet have plans for his retirement, adding with a smile that he will decide where to go next after the remaining 10 months is up.

Capt. Curtis Main will retire on Oct. 1, 2009 after 28 and one half years of service with the Boone PD. Main oversees all uniform operations such as patrol, bike patrol, school resource officer, traffic enforcement and the downtown officer.

In his 28 years in law enforcement, Main has utilized only two sick days.

“You don’t take time off because of the effect on the shift,” he said, citing the safety of other officers in a short-handed situation.

Main is looking forward to retirement, as he says, “I don’t want to have any particular place to be.

“I will miss the people. After 28 to 30 years, they are like family. I’ve watched their kids grow up,” he said.
“And I think about the good folks we’ve lost.”

As a Watauga native, Main is planning to be more active in the community upon retirement, volunteering through his church and other civic organizations.

The police department will lose two more ranking officers in 2010 with the retirement of Sgt. Randy Brown and Lt. Tom Redmond. Chief Bill Post is currently eligible for retirement, though he has decided to postpone it until after the department is resettled with the new officers.

The ranking positions will be filled by promoting from within the department, although new officers will need to be hired. “The hard work and consistency of service provided by the the officers will make the transition smooth for the department as a whole,” he said.

Post has worked to make the process as transparent as possible for all of the officers in the department. He created a chart which shows the end date for each retiring officer and works backward to show when promotions and training will take place. The chart is posted within plain view of all officers.

“The public will not recognize a difference in stability or effectiveness from the department,” Post added. “The officers that are retiring have been a source of leadership through mentoring and cooperation.”