In an excellent article about LERPs and an especially distinguished RLEO, staff writer Joe Hughes (with the San Diego Union Tribune, March 4th, 2005) covers the retirement of Captain Ray Webb. The retirement ceremony was attended by the chief and former chiefs of San Diego PD, and included a motorcycle escort and department helicopter flyover. Captain Webb, also a US Navy retiree, stood down after 41 years of service with SDPD. In the article, senior police executives attest to the value of reserve programs, and how long-serving RLEOs can become professional icons within an agency. The article also noted that three of his sons became FTE LEOs with SDPD, and the fourth became a SDPD RLEO, following in his dad’s footsteps. The article also noted that he lost a son-in-law, Officer H. Keith Tiffany, who was killed in the line of duty along with his partner, when responding to a neighbor dispute in 1981.
One important point made was that at the time of Captain Webb's retirement, there were only 21 RLEOs serving in the SDPD, down from an average of 300 during the 1980s. As recruiting, academy, and recurring training requirements rise, the eligible pool of qualified RLEOs who can complete initial training and then remain in good standing has become smaller. This trend is likely occuring across the nation. Though it results in a professionally more capable reserve officer, it also means that RLEOs who remain active are becoming more valuable.
www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050304/news_1n4retire.html
