Vacaville police officer retires after 29 years of service
Officer Walt Simon was sent into retirement with a special police dispatch on Wednesday.
(Photo courtesy Vacaville Police Department via Facebook)
A Vacaville police officer with nearly three decades of public service was presented with a message of gratitude by the agency on Wednesday.
In a special police dispatch announcing his retirement, the Vacaville Police Department thanked Officer Walt Simon for 29 years of dedicated law enforcement service, much of it spent within the city of Vacaville.
Simon started his law enforcement career in Suisun City where he worked as a reserve police officer before being promoted to a full-time duty officer. He joined the Vacaville Police Department in 1996, where he has served as a law enforcement officer ever since.
During his time in Vacaville, Simon took on various roles, including that of a patrol officer, bike officer, youth services officer, negotiator and mentor to fellow officers and members of the community.
A devout fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Simon tapped into his love of baseball by serving as a Vacaville High School softball coach and assuming a similar role with the Police Activities League (PAL), according to a dispatcher.
"We've become your brothers and sisters in blue, and you've reminded us of that often,” a dispatcher said on the Vacaville Police radio on Wednesday. “While we've been through a lot of calls and incidents over the years, what we will remember the most...is that we all knew we could count on you for your quick wit, your well-timed jokes and the laughs you brought to help lighten the load of this career that brings so much to all of us."
Dispatchers wished Simon and his family — a wife and two girls — well into retirement, and congratulated him for “making it to the final inning of this long career.”
A few seconds after the message ended, Simon took to the air.
“Thank you, Vacaville, and I wish safety for all of you guys,” Simon said. “Go Blues.”
You can listen to the special Vacaville Police Department dispatch in full below:
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