This is Jerry T. Powell, in 1978, when he was a lieutenant with the Albuquerque Police Department. At the time, he was the swing-shift commander of the Southeast Area Command. He would be promoted twice more, to captain and eventually to deputy chief. He was tough, but always friendly.Though we had our differences, ultimately he was a fair man. He joined APD on Nov. 29, 1962, after serving in the U.S. Air Force. He retired from the city in June of 1988.
When I was president of the Albuquerque Police Officers’ Association, Powell would go out of his way to seek me out, in my office, whenever he had a planned change that might affect the working relationship with officers. He always got his way, not because of the simple showing of respect, but because of his thoroughness, attention to detail and he got it right. He would always quote the applicable sections of the contract, city and department regulations. He sought consensus, but didn’t demand it. It made him a rare breed.
So what's wrong with this picture?
Powell, 70, took his own life on Sun. Feb. 4., in Rio Rancho.
He always had the perfect uniform and motivated officers by ending his comments with “look sharp.” Same to you J.T., “Look Sharp!”
1 comment:
Our warrior comrades sometimes choose the time and place of their own demise, defiant to the end!
Two deputies I knew called themselves out 10-7 for the last time. I have been close myself. But if you, like our fellow blogger Diogones, keep the torch lit and keep looking, we can see we are not as alone in this world as we might think.
Injustice. Betrayal. Broken Expectations. Even good men, tough guys who you would want right there as you search a building with burglars in it or backing you up when you are cuffing someone violent, can sometimes give in to despair or horrible pain from sicknesses or injuries. I know I want the option to choose how and when I go if I am in too much pain to think and be a normal human, or if it is just enough already.
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