A lengthy career of police service ended on Thursday amid laughs, sincere thanks and even a few tears.
After 33 years with the Columbus Police Department and local law enforcement, Sgt. Gary Moore has retired.
More than 100 people crowded the CPD”s patrol briefing room to honor Moore, who began his police career in 1977 and never slowed down.
“This job is pure insanity,” said Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John. “Unless we have patient people with us, it”s impossible to survive.”
Moore not only survived, he enabled others to do the same. St. John said Moore consistently demonstrated the leadership skills that make great police.
“He”s the first officer I know from the Columbus Police Department who has kept his same mannerism the whole time,” said Assistant Chief Joe L. Johnson Jr. as he thanked Moore”s family for loaning him to the department. “He”s a truly upstanding guy.”
“Thank you all so very much,” Moore said. “I”m overwhelmed. You”ve made a very special day of this.”
Moore graduated in 1978 from the Mississippi Law Enforcement Academy in Pearl. He spent his rookie days at the Starkville Police Department. In 1979, he migrated to the CPD, and after a brief stint at the Lowndes County Sheriff”s Department, decided he belonged in Columbus for good. In 2002, he graduated from the National Forensic Academy and contributed a knowledge of police technology to the department throughout his career.
“Gary was instrumental in getting the city to purchase the AFIX Tracker Automated Fingerprint Identification System,” read part of his biography in the event program, which also showed pictures of Moore throughout his career.
“I think he”s going to miss it more than he thinks he will,” said Anita Moore, his wife.
Thirty-three years is a long time to see people at their worst, and that”s one element of the job Moore isn”t sorry to leave behind.
“It”s not easy,” he said. “It”s hard seeing the negative side and not letting it touch you. That”s one thing I”m not going to miss.”
The ceremony wasn”t without its lighter moments. Johnson reminisced about a time Moore got his patrol car stuck in the mud.
“We tied our bumpers together, and I pulled him out, and he went his way,” Johnson said. “I went mine, and no one ever knew until today.”
That reminded Chuck Cook, the former owner of a wrecking company, of a similar story he”d never told either.
“Gary turned out to be my best customer,” Cook said. “If there was a mud hole anywhere within a country mile, Gary would back into it.”
Although many of the commenters focused on his more comedic war stories — moonwalking to Michael Jackson”s “Billie Jean,” for instance — Moore was a serious police officer.
Terry Dentry, an investigator with the CPD, praised Moore and his wife for sticking by each other through health problems and other marital hardships.
“It takes a man”s man to work this job,” Dentry said, looking at Moore. “You have hung by her for so long. You were made for each other.”
After the brief speeches, some of Moore”s colleagues presented him with two pictures, a plaque and a guitar, signed by his colleagues, to commemorate his love of making music.
“I know he”s going tune up that guitar this evening,” said Tina Smith, a friend of Moore”s for the last 10 years.
After the ceremony, people converged on Moore to hug, shake hands and get autographs.
But Moore isn”t necessarily slowing down. He has agreed to become a sales representative for North Atlantic Extradition Services, a company that specializes in prisoner transport.
He started work this morning.
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