Editor’s note: Retired Officer Emma Groom, #298, passed away on April 10, 2015, at the age of 94. One of the PPD’s first four female officers, she was hired on July 13, 1956, and retired on December 31, 1976. She was a pioneer in her field and an inspiration for all who had the pleasure of meeting her.
In February, I had the opportunity to meet Emma Groom and interview her at her home in the Valley.
Emma was born in Wisconsin in 1920. It was a nice, warm day in 1956 when she stopped with her four young sons at a café near the Arizona Capitol to have lunch. As rowdy as young boys can be, one of her sons grabbed the hat belonging to the man in the booth behind them. Emma said she took the hat from her son to keep him from getting “sticky” fingers on it. She placed it on her own head to get it out of the child’s reach.
The owner of the hat, Phoenix Police Chief Charlie Thomas, looked at Emma and told her he had hats that would look much better on her then his. Chief Thomas invited her to come into his office at the police station for a job interview the next day. That meeting changed her life.
After a short interview with the Chief, Emma was hired and started her career as a jail matron. Her job consisted of accompanying the doctor on his rounds of jail inmates and making sure they took the medicines prescribed. She had a 60-day probationary period and no formal training. She worked at the jail for only a few months before she was assigned to traffic detail.
Emma enjoyed writing parking and traffic tickets. She was also assigned to direct traffic at Central Avenue and Adams Street. Emma recollected that there were several women who “worked the area rolling drunks.” She believed one of them was an Eskimo lady, and she recalled their names as Jeri White, Ella Legg and Boots Wagner. One night, the three women were in a quarrel, and after they were arrested, Emma was called to search them. Boots Wagner bit Emma’s arm during the search, and that was the only time Emma was injured on duty. Emma remarked on how “times have changed” for officers being injured.
In 1965 or 1966, Chief Larry Wetzel assigned Emma Groom to the detective division. Emma retired from the Phoenix Police Department after 20 years of service, and although there were no other law enforcement officers in her family, her second-oldest son eventually became a Maricopa County adult probation officer after starting in Globe, Arizona.
When asked about regrets, Emma remarked that she really enjoyed her job, but she did have one regret. A woman came into the station to report that her 8-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted, and the suspect, a teenager, was known to the victim. During the suspect interview, the suspect had an attorney with him and was told not to say one word. The suspect’s mom and dad also gave him an alibi. The suspect was never charged for the sexual assault of the child. After the suspect became an adult, he was being sent to California to answer for either a murder or attempted murder charge. Emma happened to speak with the suspect before he left, and he apologized to her. He said that he had really wanted to talk to her during that original interview, but his attorney would not let him. She told me that both she and the suspect regretted the fact that he did not speak to Emma then, as perhaps his entire life may have changed for the better.
Emma grew tired, and we agreed to meet on another day for lunch because I had so many more questions. Sadly, we were not able to continue our conversation, but I am fortunate to have spoken with this remarkable woman who holds a special place in Phoenix Police Department history.
By Joyce Hubler
Detective (ret.)
Last year, at our first-ever Retired Phoenix Police Officers/Dispatchers Picnic, 225 people showed up. This year, our attendance was estimated at approximately 270. One thing different about this year’s picnic that set it apart from last year’s was that we had many attendees who came from out of state, including Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington. We also had people who came from all corners of Arizona.
The success of this picnic and fundraiser for the Phoenix Police Museum was dependent on the efforts of many volunteers, including Dave Lane, who for two years in a row has generously donated a new firearm. This year he was joined by Steve Proctor, who also donated a new firearm. Both firearms were raffled off and brought in $3,195 to help with restoration at the Phoenix Police Museum. Thanks to Martha Proctor for her help with the raffle.
Ruthie Cooper designed and had a custom banner made for our retired Phoenix police and dispatchers group, and we will be using this at our events in the future. Thanks, Ruthie!
Thank you to the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association for donating the fees that allowed us to rent two ramadas and for the beautiful gift basket. We would also like to thank the Association of Retired Phoenix Police Officers (ARPO) for donating the fee for another ramada.
Fran Anatra, Nan and Cave Golding, and Ruthie Cooper worked hundreds of hours contacting businesses and retirees in Cottonwood, Prescott, Payson and the greater Valley area in obtaining gift baskets, which were also raffled off. There were approximately 50 different gift baskets or items, which included getaway vacations, as well as fine wines. This fabulous raffle took a huge effort to put together and brought in $2,065. Thank you for your efforts!
Sherry Sparks was a huge help to me in selling Phoenix Police retiree polo shirts and hats. As I was hobbling around with a fractured knee and sporting a brace and cane, Sherry was my right-hand lady.
Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Sheets, and Ed and Kim Catlett for working the sign-in table. That is a very tough and hot job, but they stuck it out and did a great job.
Our very meaningful invocation for fallen and current officers was presented by Cleo Lewis, who also filled in as our official photographer.
And of course, the biggest thank-you goes to those of you who donate, attend and support the reunion picnic, and our Phoenix Police/Dispatcher Facebook Group, which is currently at 563 strong and still growing. None of this would be possible without “the group.” You have made this the success it is.
Several retirees still owe money for their polo shirts but when those are all tallied (since all proceeds go to the museum), our grand total for the Phoenix Police Museum will be $5,560! Good job, all.
As a side note, retired Officer William Treadwell, #868, is in an assisted living facility in Milwaukie, Oregon, and would like to receive cards and/or letters from fellow retirees. One considerate retiree has offered to send him the Department newsletter, but whether you knew him or not, let’s let him know we all still care about a fellow PPD retiree. His address is:
| William Treadwell Deer Field Village 5770 Kellogg Creek Dr. Milwaukie, OR 97222 |
By Joyce Hubler
Detective (ret.)
My September/October 2014 article concerned the largely held belief among retired members of the Phoenix Police Department that retirees are basically — shall I say it again? — not relevant.
I cannot tell you how many retirees, including me, believe that once you walk out of 620 West, you are completely forgotten by the Department — that is, until you die and then suddenly the Employee Assistance Unit does reach out to the family. But wait! Isn’t the Department missing the boat and not seeing the bigger picture? In today’s world, retirees are living longer than ever. Retirees still have a lot of skills, talents and abilities, and if the Department were to harness them, it could certainly be a win-win #4470 for all concerned.
Just recently, and for the first time of which I am aware, retirees were invited to speak at a retreat of Family Investigations Bureau [FIB] supervisors. Sergeant Lisa Gilligan, the administrative sergeant in FIB, contacted me several months ago asking if I knew of any retirees who could give a short presentation on important issues such as:
- How did you prepare for retirement?
- What do you do in retirement?
- Did you feel adequately prepared for retirement?
- If you had it to do over, would you have stayed longer or done anything differently in your career?
These are all topics that officers who are a few years away from retirement should be seriously considering and thinking about.
When I posted a request for volunteers on our Facebook group, Sergeant Gilligan was soon overwhelmed with retired volunteers. Retirees Dick White, Jim DeLung, Cindy Kralovetz and Geo Richards gave short but entertaining and informative presentations.
Several days after the retreat, Sergeant Gilligan contacted me to let me know the attending supervisors had been surveyed and 100% found the retirees’ information to be valuable.
The retirees’ presentations at the seminar were, in fact, so well received that she and her commander, Mike Parra, are hoping other units in the Department will consider holding retreats and inviting retirees to participate. I hope so, too. This would be a win-win for everyone.
Thank you, Sergeant Gilligan and Commander Parra, for recognizing that retirees are still valuable members of the Department.
By Joyce Hubler
Detective (ret.)
A member recently posted a story to the Retired Phoenix Police Officers Facebook group written by Sergeant Phil Jones, of the Washoe County (Nevada) Sheriff’s Office. The essay was written in the first person and it is meaningful to me for a number of different reasons.
The article is entitled “K9 partners: Why we need those ‘old dogs with badges,’” and it can be found on Police One’s website. In it, Sergeant Jones describes sitting in his front yard with his K9 partner when a stranger walks by. Sergeant Jones notices the dog watching the stranger in a not-so-friendly manner. A friend who is sitting with him makes a comment about how sad it is that the dog was a police dog instead of a “normal” dog. From that point, the author thinks of the things his old dog has missed out on by being a police dog. Certainly he missed social gatherings because of callouts or having to work overtime. The dog is much more comfortable in smaller groups and is very uncomfortable when people are behind him. He prefers to face them and read their intentions. He does not like strangers ringing the doorbell late at night.
Some nights he had to have a bath before leaving work because some of the places he had been were too filthy to track into his family home. Often, after working a long night shift, he would sleep the next day away. And often days and nights ran together.
The hot tone on the police radio always excites him, and he’s seen more illegal drugs than most people even know exist.
Sergeant Jones ends his story by writing the following: “He has been on the front line hunting real evil — not for the pay, but because it is what he signed up to do when he was a young cop with a badge…. We are just a couple ‘old dogs with badges.’ If we could do it all over, neither of us would change a thing.”
What I especially like about the story is how it points out that on or off duty, no matter how hard you try, you can’t turn your training off. The #9006 same goes for retirement. Once you retire, you may not be on the front lines any longer, but your training and life of 20-plus years does not leave you.
Retired Phoenix Police Officers/Dispatchers Picnic: Save the Date!
It’s almost time for our second annual Phoenix Police Picnic, which will be on March 7, 2015, at Sahuaro Ranch Park in Glendale. This year we have rented a third ramada due to last year’s large turnout, and a special thanks goes out to PLEA for the donation to secure it. Please mark the date on your calendar, because it will be here before you know it — trust me. More details to follow.
By Joyce Hubler
Detective (ret.)
Last year’s hugely attended picnic, coupled with the wildly successful Facebook group for retired Phoenix police officers, proves that retired Phoenix officers want to reconnect. Most are still active, many own businesses, and whether in ill health or wonderful health, they want to reach out to one another.
A long time ago, we had a publication mailed to our homes called 10-7. With budget cuts, etc., this evolved into an electronic publication. To her credit, retired Lieutenant Gail Kavanagh, as a volunteer, worked hard to make this publication successful. However, the retiree circulation became smaller and smaller over the years. I recently took a survey on the Association of Retired Phoenix Officers’ website, as well as the Facebook group, and learned a surprisingly large number of retirees had never heard of the 10-7. Many others had heard of it but never received it. Many retirees whom I have spoken with have been led to believe that once you have retired and walked out the doors of 620 West Washington Street, it is as if your sword is broken, and you’re no longer welcome in the castle.
On June 4, 2014, I met with representatives of the Department. I was astonished when I mentioned the history of the 10-7 that, like many retirees, neither of the representatives had ever heard of it. One of the suggestions I had, which seemed to meet with some enthusiasm, was a request that retirees be given one or two pages monthly in the widely distributed, weekly Phoenix Police Department newsletter. The purpose would be to let retirees know of pension benefit changes, health insurance changes, retiree events, and to notify which retirees have fallen ill and would like contact with old partners and friends. I was told this would be taken under advisement and I would be notified. Six weeks later, I was notified that the Department had decided it would not be relevant to add a page once a month dedicated to retirees. I was shocked. I asked repeatedly, “Retirees are not relevant to the Department?” I was informed the Department newsletter has information for current officers. Yes, I agree that’s true, but does that somehow mean that things that affect retirees are not important to current officers? I would like to believe that all current officers hope to one day be retired officers.
Two days after I was told “retirees are not relevant,” I attended a committee meeting with Sharon Knutson-Felix, the executive director of the 100 Club, and several other committee members, including a Phoenix Fire Department representative. It has long been known that firefighters “take care of their own” whether the firefighter is active or retired. I asked the firefighter for his opinion on the difference between fire retirees and police retirees. His statement was simple and true: “Fire cares for their own and Phoenix police eat their own.” I agree with him. The nature of our job leads to negative encounters that oftentimes lead to discipline, or at least uncomfortable investigations, much more so than with fire. Fire cares for their employees from the top down.
Had we been killed in the line of duty, we would have been hailed as heroes, and rightly so, by all levels of the Department, City and the state. That could have been any one of us, because we all were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Instead, we were lucky enough to make retirement, but that does not mean we left unscathed. In fact, I would venture a guess that almost all of us carry scars, figuratively or literally, from our 20-plus years as Phoenix police officers. It is impossible to see the things we saw and do the things we had to do without leaving scars.
For the 20-plus years of sacrifice you made to help your community, your city and your state become a better place, I am here to tell you that you were and are very relevant! I hope the Department will see it that way, too, because we’re all in this together.
By Joyce Hubler
Detective (ret.)
If you have not yet joined the Retired Phoenix Police Officers Facebook group, please contact me at Joyce15448@aol.com or Al Contreras at zorro2705@yahoo.com. You will not find the group on a search engine and because it is a closed and “secret” group; the only way to join is by requesting an invitation. There are lots of pictures of the old-timers and old Department photos that 514 members now enjoy. The criteria to join are to have 18 years or more on for current Phoenix police officers, or to be a retired police officer or retired Phoenix police dispatcher.
In May, Ron Bates hosted a tour of a very exclusive collection of vehicles owned by Ron Pratte. This collection will soon be going on the block at the Barrett-Jackson auction. One of the pristine vehicles is the only remaining 1966 Shelby Cobra Super Snake. The vehicle belonged to Carroll Shelby and last sold for $5.5 million. Approximately 15 retired officers from the Facebook group attended this viewing and had a great time.
The next (second) annual Retired Phoenix Police Officers/Dispatchers Picnic is scheduled for March 7, 2015. If you would like to assist the raffle committee, please contact Fran Anatra at (602) 819-6655, and if you have gift certificates, etc., that you would like to donate, send them to her at P.O. Box 5280, Peoria, AZ 85385. Anyone who would like to help sponsor rental of the ramadas, or have your business sponsor a rental, please contact me at Joyce15448@aol.com or (623) 465-9569. Steve Proctor will be organizing the gun raffle.
There are three breakfasts held statewide for us old retirees:
- The Phoenix Old Timers’ Breakfast is now held the first Wednesday of the month at the Deer Valley Airport Café (inside the airport) at 8 a.m. Bill Johnson’s Big Apple on Bell Road went out of business, so we moved it here.
- The Prescott Old Timers’ Breakfast is the second Saturday of the month at 9 a.m., held at the Golden Corral Restaurant, 1901 East Highway 69.
- The Payson Old Timers’ Breakfast is the third Thursday of the month at 9 a.m., held at the Crosswinds Restaurant located at the Payson Airport.
Gary Gardner, #1370, is in the Vista Mesa Assisted Living Home, 1206 N. Mildred Ave., in Cortez, Colorado. Gary has had Alzheimer’s for some time and can no longer carry on a conversation. He remembers faces and still has his humorous actions, but is limited in activity. He is physically strong and walks a lot on a track they have on premises. He loves visitors, so any of you who know him and are in the area are encouraged to stop by.
End of Watch
Thank you, gentlemen, for a job well done. You will not be forgotten.
Assistant Chief Seth S. Allen, #301, EOW May 24, 2014, after a short illness at the age of 83. Seth joined the Department in 1956 and retired in 1983.
Officer Gary Hinkle, #1846, EOW May 24, 2014, from injuries received in a motorcycle collision the week prior. Gary joined the Department in 1969 and retired in 1993. Gary’s wife, Kathy, is still in the hospital with numerous broken bones but will soon be released to go home.
Officer Austin “Pappy” Williams, #2798, EOW May 11, 2014, from lung cancer. Austin joined the Department in December 1974 and retired in January 1997.
Major Edward Cassidy, #307, EOW April 11, 2014. Edward had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Alzheimer’s. Edward joined the Department in 1955 and retired in 1985.