Scott Swanson
Chief Bob Burford retired Friday and passed over his star to his successor, Jeff Lynn, in a ceremony held at quitting time, 5:30 p.m.
Burford was honored with a dinner and the obligatory roast Saturday evening at the Community Center, attended by 65 current and former Police Department employees, city staff, the former and current county District Attorneys, family and friends, including his mother and son Chris.
The official process took place in the community room at the police station that Burford built by convincing city residents that they needed a suitable command center for their law enforcement activities rather than the “trailer” behind City Hall or the “dungeon” basement in which the department was located when Burford arrived in 1986.
City Manager Craig Martin and others noted that the Police Services building is part of the legacy Burford is leaving.
Martin recalled how, when he arrived in Sweet Home in June of 1997, Burford told him, “You’re the third or fourth city manager we’ve had since I’ve been in Sweet Home. They’ve all promised me they were going to get me a new police department.”
Two brief ceremonies were held Friday, one earlier during which Martin presented Burford with a plaque recognizing his 27 years of service to Sweet Home.
The second was a brief, formal affair in which Martin officially acknowledged the end of Burford’s service as chief.
“Chief Burford,” Martin said, his voice cracking, “as city manager, you are hereby relieved of your duties.”
Burford responded by speaking into his radio to a dispatcher: “I’ll be clear. I’ll be off-duty.”
The dispatcher replied: “Chief Robert H. Burford off-duty.”
Saturday’s prime rib dinner, complete with a cake prepared by Community Services Officer Gina Riley, who bakes on the side, was more light-hearted, though it included a few more sober moments such as when Martin and Lynn presented Burford with his service weapon, and a shadow box built by Ben Dahlenburg with Burford’s various rank stars, the inscribed handcuffs he used, and some of the challenge coins he liked to pass out as rewards.
Referring to Burford’s comment, from years ago, about getting a new police department facility, Martin jokingly presented the retiring chief with a Lego police department set, along with a few other items that revived memories of their adventures with the public – a former city councilman who fervently believed that the department needed a motorcycle patrol officer (Martin gave Burford a toy motorcycle cop) and the citizen, who showed up at City Hall with aluminum foil on his head, worried about contrails in the sky and demanding that the city establish jurisdiction over who could fly over Sweet Home. Martin said he jokingly suggested getting a Harrier aircraft, which was the only one that could take off or land at Sweet Home’s airport, but, stating Saturday night that, since Harriers no longer are available, he presented Burford with a Lego military helicopter set.
Several officers recounted, with gusto, some of Burford’s managerial quirks.
Detective Jason Ogden told of his competitive nature that sometimes caused him to “case-jack” investigations – usually taking over while the officer was on his or her day off. He said they eventually figured out how to use that tendency to their advantage, in terms of managing cases.
Tim Trahan gave a dramatic interpretation of disciplinary “talks” with wayward officers: “‘Come in, young man, take a seat.’ Chief closes the door, sits down, wipes his face like he’s wiping away what he really wants to say, then tells you what you did wrong.”
Riley told of his penchant for April Fool jokes – one of his favorites was to put tape over the water faucet in the kitchen so water would squirt on the user. She said it happened to her when she first went to work for the department in 2009.
“The next year, lo and behold, I wasn’t thinking and he did it again.” This time, though, Riley turned the faucet onto her boss, who was sitting in the room, crowded with employees who were enjoying cinnamon rolls. He had a roll and his coffee in his hand as she aimed a blast of water at him.
“I turned the hose on him and let him have it,” Riley recounted. “He didn’t flinch. He just kept eating his cinnamon roll and he went through the morning with a wet shirt.”
Former officer Cliff Peck, who also worked with Burford in Boardman before the chief came to Sweet Home, told how they investigated an accident involving Spanish-speaking residents and, since neither could speak Spanish, he suggested they ask a local “cute, Spanish-speaking teacher, Miss Kennedy” for help. “Bob perked up and said, ‘Yeah!’” Miss Kennedy became Cyndi Burford.
Lynn, who came to the department in 1999 “from an office job, where I sat at a desk all day,” said Burford has been an “outstanding boss to work for.
“Truly, I believe the department is a better place because of Bob’s wisdom,” he said, noting that technology is at a high level for such a small department. He said he counted 95 people who have worked in the department during Burford’s administration.
“He’s given some their first chance, some their second, some their third or fourth, some no chance. The numbers are dizzying when you see how many lives he’s touched.”
He urged Burford “not to be a stranger” to the department.
Burford said he’s certain he is leaving the agency “in very good hands.”
He also urged the public to remember that police officers are not adversaries, and the detachment that officers sometimes display is necessary for safety.
“When they’re walking up to your car, they don’t know who you are,” he said. “You might be a felon.”
He reminded the officers of the “95/5 rule: Five percent of the public cause 95 percent of the problems.”
He challenged his former staffers to remember that even though police work develops and even requires a certain degree of cynicism, they need to remember that they are serving the public, who employs them.
“I charge you with never breaking that bond of trust between you and your community,” he said.