Crabtree will retire Nov. 5 as police chief

After 28 years with the Clinton Police Department, a dozen of them as chief, David Crabtree announced Monday that he is retiring.
He told his officers of his decision Monday morning. Nov. 5 will be his last day.
“I’m hanging up my badge and my pistol,” he told the Clinton Daily News. “I just feel it’s my time. Twenty-eight years in law enforcement – over 12 as chief – is a long time. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Clinton.  I wish the best for the city.
“Law enforcement is a rewarding career,” he continued. “Sometimes you don’t get the ’atta boys but you see rewards years down the road when a young person comes up to you and thanks you for helping them get their life straight.”
While rewarding, Crabtree said the life of a lawman can also be hard and demanding. “You see a lot of bad things, and you have to come to terms with that as well,” he said.
“A career in law enforcement takes its toll on you. There are visible scars and sometimes scars you don’t see that an officer has to live with and deal with.”
It also can be dangerous. During his career, two of Crabtree’s fellow officers were shot in the line of duty, both while attempting to serve arrest warrants. Fortunately, both survived.
Sgt. Mark Ryan was shot in the pelvic area in 2001 by a woman while trying to jimmy the door to a bedroom where she had taken refuge. Ryan did not return fire, and the woman later committed suicide. Crabtree thinks Ryan is now living in Maryland working for the uniform division of the Secret Service.
Capt. Mike Murley was shot three times in his arms 10 months ago by an alleged drug dealer on S. Third Street but lived to testify against his assailant. He’s scheduled to do so again at the end of this month, when the suspect goes on trial for charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm after conviction and/or during probation.
In announcing his retirement, Crabtree thanked a lot of people starting with wife Danis and daughter Bailey.
“I’m very blessed to have my wife of almost 25 years, and my daughter has always made me proud,” he said. “She’s now a cosmetologist in Clinton and getting married next year. Without their support I couldn’t have chosen this profession. They’re my support mechanism, and I love ’em very much.”
Crabtree was hired in 1990 by the late Bill Weedon, who he said held the longevity record for a Clinton police chief until he came along. Weedon headed the department for 10½ years. In between them were Ken Thiessen, John Quinton and Ed Smith.
Along the way Crabtree served as interim chief three different times, finally getting the job fulltime in May of 2007.
Asked about accomplishments of which he is proudest, he began with getting officers’ equipment issued to them.
“When I started, we had to buy everything ourselves except our uniforms,” he said. “The city provided uniforms and a badge. We bought everything else ourselves – bullets, handcuffs, even our ticket books. It cost me a little over $2,000 to get started.”
Crabtree was also proud to get the take-home program reestablished for police officers. Under it, those who live in town may drive police cars home, thereby enabling them to respond quicker to emergencies and giving the department a more visible presence in different parts of the city.
Other accomplishments were more recent and required help from whatever city manager was in office at the time as well as the City Council. They included rehabilitation of the police station, making it more utilitarian as well as more secure for the safety of both officers and dispatchers.
“We made it as secure as we could with the money we were allotted,” he said. “We wanted people to come into the Police Department, but we wanted it to be secure as well.”
That means when officers are on duty but not on the streets, most are behind locked doors. A dispatcher working behind bullet-proof glass screens visitors before admitting them.
Bollards, which are essentially big round metal posts, were installed outside the front door to keep anyone from driving a vehicle through it.
An even more recent improvement was a $5,100-a-year hike in beginning salaries as well as proportionate increases for veteran officers. That helped fill the ranks from a low of 10 including the chief to its authorized strength of 16.
For beginners, the wage is now $18 an hour, which Crabtree said equates to $37,400 a year. In 2011 it was $28,739. 
“We’ve seen it pay dividends,” he said. “Currently we have no vacancies. We’re competitive with our neighbors.” 
Crabtree says three things have helped him be successful in the chief’s role – being fair, firm and consistent.
“I believe those are qualities needed to be successful as a person or a leader,” he said. “I wanted the public to know when I arrived they had someone they could count on to do his best. Being a lawman has always been a challenge. Your word means just about everything. For the public to trust you, you have to be fair to the citizens and be sure on the law enforcement end, so they know you did your best for them.”
Crabtree and his wife plan to continue living in this area, and he indicated he would remain active professionally, though not in law enforcement.
Personally, he attributes his success to two things. “My upbringing, and my belief in God,” he said. “In reality, that’s what made me a better officer. I’ve tried to put God first, others next, and myself last.”