11 / 32
PA CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION
|
BULLETIN
|
WINTER 2016
|
11
www.pachiefs.orgWEAR THE BADGE
"It was my father, Jack McKim, who led me into policing. As a trade, dad was in construction, but he also worked part-time in a very small part-
time department (North Beaver Township, Lawrence County) for a number of years.
Our small community didn’t call the police until they really needed them; The abusive husband who was tearing up the house, the late-night EDP
walking down the center of the highway, the teenaged victim of sexual abuse, the aging widow who thought she heard someone breaking in her
home.
The township had wired in a landline that rang in all 4 of the officers’ homes. I remember many nights when our police phone would ring, and dad
would hustle out the door wearing a flannel shirt, gun belt, and blue jeans. We had a magnetic red light inside our ’83 Ford Escort wagon, which
dad used for off-duty police response.
His tales of getting the bad guys and helping the helpless were what drew me to this noble profession. At 73, he still offers his services. “Call me
if you need some backup,” he’ll often say. He’s serious – and he can probably still handle himself.
Decades later, times have certainly changed. Policing is no exception. Hotlines have been replaced with cell phones. Flannel shirts have been
replaced by ballistic outer carriers, and (except for PSP’s crash team cars) I haven’t seen a station wagon responding to a crime in a very long time!
Some things, though, have not changed. Houses still go “bump” in the night – sometimes because of a burglar; spouses still live in fear of domestic
violence; and sadly, there is never a shortage of people suffering emotional trauma, or young people who are being victimized. Someone has to
help. Someone has to get the bad guys.
I’ve been proud to serve with the Ephrata Police (Lancaster County) since 1993. We have a great town and a supportive public. We often received
gifts of homemade treats as a “thank you” - made by hands that are truly grateful.
"Like many of my colleagues, I too was desirous to be a police officer at a young age. I recall elementary school safety programs where a trooper
from the Pennsylvania State Police would stand up on stage in a spotless, well pressed uniform with riding boots polished to a reflective finish.
He would talk about helping students cross intersections safely and school bus safety. Basically, it was recruitment for the Safety Patrol Program
but it caught my attention and I idolized that trooper.
Forty years ago I was fortunate enough to be selected as a police officer at a department in Montgomery County. I realized that uniformed
officers can make a difference in the lives of the people they serve. Certain incidents and cases stand out in my mind and I believe it is because
I know my actions made a difference in some of those instances. An elderly woman suffering from dementia was being financially victimized by
her live-in nephew. When the case was reported to me by the family, I was able to get her assets frozen by way
of a court appointed attorney to stop her losses which totaled over $100,000 and arrest the nephew for theft.
Knowing that I helped preserve some of this woman’s life savings reinforced to me the difference police officers
can and do make daily in the lives of others.
Eventually after becoming a chief of police, I realized that I wear the badge for those who serve in my department.
Having had the privilege to be a chief in two police departments over the past 14 years, has taught me the
commitment and talent these officers of today possess. The officers who make up my department are making
the difference in the lives of the people they serve. I can only make sure that they are getting the support,
equipment and training they deserve. Time changes the course and direction of why we do what we do. For me,
there is no greater pleasure than seeing members of my department making a difference in the lives of so many.”
Mark A. Toomey
Chief of Police
Upper Providence Township
Mark A. Toomey
Jack McKim graduates from
the Allegheney Part-Time
Police Academy (1979)
– I'm the cute one.
Carter McKim (middle son
- 14) graduates from Camp
Cadet of Lancaster County as
Cadet of the Year (2016)
– I’m the cute one.
There are, of course, still many needs for policing, and dangers to those who do
the job. The brave men and women of the Ephrata Police are serving with courage
and integrity 24/7.
Every day I see our officers arrive for work, willing to do those unpleasant
tasks and deal with those dangerous people; they dig for more evidence; they
meticulously build cases; they comfort the injured and sorrowful; they stop the
violence. They miss ball games with their kids, holidays with their family, and
sleep – lots of sleep – all in the name of a safer, better community. I’ve seen them
perform acts of investigative genius, and acts of tremendous bravery. They do it
for the citizens they serve. God knows it’s not for the “glory!” They humble me.
I wear the badge to contribute in some meager way to the efforts of my fellow
officers. And I do it to make Jack proud."
Chris McKim – Lieutenant
Ephrata Police Department