Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Monday, January 21, 2008
Police Chief calls it a career
After over 28 years with the Tomah Police Department, Police Chief Chris Anderson will be calling it a career on Feb. 1.
Despite his years of service as a member of the Tomah Police Department, Anderson, 57, admits that he had no ideas of a career in law enforcement when he graduated from Tomah High School.
“After high school, I got a degree in electronics from DeVry (University) in Chicago,” Anderson said. “I worked at service stations on the interstate for about 12 years after that.”
After over a decade servicing with Jermoo’s, Anderson attended a Sheriff’s Reserve class. It was then that he started to think about a career change.
“I came to my first Sheriff’s Reserve class and started with Gordy Stelter,” Anderson said. “What I experienced in the Sheriff’s Reserve made (law enforcement) something I was looking for.”
Anderson joined the Tomah Police Department part time in September of 1979 and by November of that year, he was working full time. For Anderson, life on the job was a lot different then than it is now.
“Back then you would just walk in, ride with someone for two or three days and away you went, but things have changed a lot,” Anderson said. “It seems more is expected of law enforcement today than at that time. A lot of people want law enforcement to raise their children, and work out neighborhood problems. We even had someone call us to respond because their child wouldn’t do the dishes. Times have changed.”
Anderson received more training at the State Patrol Academy, and after a decade with the department, he was made a lieutenant in 1990. In 1995, he was promoted to captain, and was named Chief of Police in January of 2001. As Chief, Anderson saw a different side of law enforcement.
“It is a lot more public relations as chief than it is law enforcement,” Anderson said. “You try to look at the big picture and get your officers to do what the general public is looking for in law enforcement. It is much more of an operations aspect.”
During Anderson’s time as a member of the Tomah Police Department, the city of Tomah has grown. The Police Department, according to Anderson, has not.
“We used to check every door of every business in town twice a night, but we don’t have the time anymore,” Anderson said. “The population of Tomah has doubled in size since I started and we haven’t increased the department much.”
Despite some challenges, Anderson enjoys serving the community. He says that the best part of his job is working with people, and not just the people in his department. He enjoys trying to help others even if they don’t necessarily appreciate him.
“I enjoy the people I work with and the feeling of accomplishment,” Anderson said. “I also like to make a person’s day better, or at least attempt to, and help people. Sometimes we will get someone who tells us we ruined their lives or they’ll lose their job because of us, but it is always something that they did, not us, that hurts them.”
Captain Wes Revels will take over for Anderson as Police Chief on Feb. 1, and Anderson has no plans for his retirement. He says he will find some part-time work and do some volunteer work. He also says that he wouldn’t have minded staying on a little longer. He just feels that it is time to move on, and he has already been there longer than he thought he would be.
“I said I would be chief for three to five years, and I have been here for seven,” Anderson said. “I have no strong feelings about it one way or another. I could have stayed longer. It is just time.”
All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.