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GPD Retirees Say Goodbye with a Bang
The Galesburg Police Department said goodbye to three officers in a big way Thursday.

A retirement party for Captain Lindsey May and officer Barry Huff and John Woolsey was held in the public safety auditorium which was practically bursting at the seems.

May tells WGIL, the day is full of mixed emotions thinking back over his 31 years with the department.

"For a guy like me, 52 years old, this has been my home. I started when I was 21 years old, I was a kid. I see these young officers today and they're kids when they start here, and I think yea,... as I look at the pictures they got on the wall and think I was a kid too so for a lot of us, it's all we've known."

Police Chief David Christensen adds that all three men will be missed.

"When you have 82 years of experience walk out the door, that's a pretty big deal, so a lot of institutional knowledge departs at the same time so we have some big shoes to fill, the process is in place to do that, but you never completely replace somebody that's been here all those many years."

Huff spent nearly 22 years with the department and will test his hand next as a railroad conductor. Woolsey served for right at 30 years including as the DARE officer and will continue to work with kids in a different capacity as a safety officers for Galesburg school district 205.
12 31 10 by Newsroom
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