Cleveland Police Department losing 2 longtime officers

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Retiring Cleveland Police Department Assistant Chief Gary Hicks and Lt. Shelia Freeman together represent more than 65 years of police work.

They join a growing list this month of city fire and police employees bringing an end to an era and opening the way for a new one.

Three years ago, the city adopted the Bridge Retirement Program for fire and police. The program, from the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, allows a slightly earlier retirement with more incentives for fire and police employees who meet the criteria.

Jeff Davis, the city's human resource director, said the Bridge Retirement Program creates job openings for younger employees while rewarding those who risked their personal safety for many years.

Freeman's career has been one of historic firsts. She was the first female patrol officer at both the Bradley County Sheriff's Office, then the Cleveland Police Department.

She went on to become the first female detective, then shift commander on the city force. Now she is the city's first retired female police officer.

Freeman's advice to new officers is to "get a good education."

"I have a master's degree in criminal justice," she said. "That was the advice [former chief] Bernard Snyder gave me. I was already in college, but that helped me. I was also trained in karate, and that gave me an advantage."

Freeman said the idea of becoming a police officer was prompted by a remark from police training officer Eddie Scoggins during a women's firearms class she took.

"He said, 'You shoot better than most of our police officers,' you know, back then. So I said, 'Well, do you hire female officers?' He said, 'Well, we haven't, but that doesn't mean we won't,'" she recalled at a recent retirement ceremony.

It turned out that several area police forces were looking for a qualified woman officer, but she began her career with the sheriff's department. A few months later, she moved to the city when an opening became available.

Hicks said helping others is a satisfying part of police work.

He recalled a young man, a known cocaine dealer who police had tried to get off the street for years. It happened, but not without a fight, he said.

"I was in Walmart one night later on and heard somebody yell 'Mr. Hicks!' He came up to me and said 'You fixed my life,'" Hicks recalled.

He also remembered talking to wayward kids when their parents requested it.

"I was always real to them. I remember what it was like. So we would just sit and talk," Hicks said.

In fact, despite all the sophisticated technology that comes with police work now, just sitting and talking with people still is the most effective part of the job, Hicks said.

"It's about one-on-one communication. You are dealing with people, and you have to have a caring heart," he said.