A Police Retirement Brings Tears and Smiles

Tears started to swell in Terri Fitzgerald's eyes when she talked about Gary Pearce.

"I'm going to be the one with my arms around his ankles as he is dragging me down the hall when he leaves," said Fitzgerald, an administrative assistant and 38-year department veteran. "He's beloved and widely respected. He was the best lieutenant I've ever had."

Today is Pearce's last day on the job. His retirement begins on March 1, nearly 25 years after he joined the force.

At 49, he's eager to start the next part of his life, someplace far away from here.

"I'm moving to small, quiet town in southern Georgia, Woodbine," Pearce said. "Only about 1,200 people, not a lot of traffic. The people make you feel welcome."

Pearce, who grew up in Merchantville and graduated from Pennsauken High School, said he and his wife took an Internet survey about likes and dislikes to pinpoint an area for their ideal retirement. He says he plans to do something else, but he's not quite sure yet what. His new home is near the coast, so he's pretty sure a lot of fishing is going be part of the plan.

But on a recent weekday, in a small office he shares at police headquarters in the basement of the , he talked about his time in Haddonfield and this part of his life.

"I was at a high school graduation last year and I heard them calling a bunch of names of kids I didn't know," he said. "It dawned on me I didn't know them because they had never been in trouble. We tend to meet people when they are at their worst.

"It clicked in my head 'There's a lot of good people we don't get to know.' It's easy to lose perspective that not everyone is bad."

Pearce freely admits he "wears his heart on his shoulder."

Fitzgerald said the pranks Pearce has pulled on his fellow officers and the ones they've pulled on him are the stuff of department legend. But when it was time to work, she said there was nobody better.

"I could always depend on him," she said. "I'd trust him with anything."

Many police officers inherit the job. It tends to run in the family. Not Pearce. His father was a computer programmer and his mother a homemaker. But one of his sons, Randy, 24, a M.P. and Afghanistan war veteran, is considering following him into law enforcement.

Pearce said there's a lot more involved with police work than when he started.

"There's so many more laws and procedures now," he said. "The media is more involved. Cops used to be big guys who could break up a bar fight with muscle. Now you're not just a cop, you're a social worker."

Pearce said he couldn't even say if the was better now than when he started.

"There are less opportunities now," he said. "We've shrunk. Being a detective now is not really an advance."

Pearce said he feels fortunate to have made it to retirement. He said he has seen a lot of officers leave the force for a variety of reasons and he knows how hard it can be on marriages. He is divorced and remarried. He said the job probably had something to do with that. He said changing state laws regarding retirement also influenced his decision to leave now.

Haddonfield Police Chief John Banning is clear about one thing: Pearce is going to be missed.

"It's going to be a great loss to the department," he said. "He's a seasoned officer and he stayed on the street a long time. He never lost his connection."

Banning doesn't know if his 21-member force will remain a 21-member force when Pearce retires. It's not clear yet if the borough budget will allow him to hire a new officer.

Pearce said borough residents pay "premium taxes" and they deserve "premium service."

A party is planned on Thursday, but for Fitzgerald that doesn't necessarily mean goodbye.

"He's still going to be our friend," she said.

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