Todd Wetherington, Herald Staff Writer

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WOODLAND — After four decades in law enforcement, Don Ryan has seen it all.

From Army posts in Korea to the rural back roads of Northampton County, the Woodland Police Chief has served his country, state and community through times of war, violence and uncertainty.

Last week, he decided he’d seen enough. After 16 years as Woodland’s Police Chief, Ryan announced he will be retiring Jan. 5, 2010.

“My age is the biggest factor,”  he said about his decision. “I’ve been in this business so long, I’m burned out. I know I’ve reached my peak and it’s time to move on.”

Ryan began his career in 1966, when he joined the Army. After serving six years as a military police officer in Korea he went to work for the police department in Clearwater, Fla., a job that provided more than its share of memorable incidents.

 “We had a couple of bad cases. We handled a case involving one of Charles Manson’s followers. He went into a church of Scientology and started shooting. When we went to his house his girlfriend was lying on the bed naked with a knife through her chest. He had written ‘Helter Skelter’ all over the walls. We arrested him and he ended up stabbing the prison minister and later he killed himself.”

 After serving another stint as a military police officer, this time in the Navy, Ryan moved back to the Roanoke Valley, working briefly for Jernigan Oil before accepting the job as Woodland Police Chief in 1992.

With his snow white hair and affable personality, Ryan doesn’t come across as the stereotypical small town, close-minded law officer, an impression borne out by the fact that he and his wife of 40 years, Susan, have formerly acted as foster parents to some of the areas more troubled youths. “They gave me the tough ones,”  he asserted with a laugh.

 While Ryan says his favorite part of the job is helping people (he also serves as the town’s zoning officer and animal control officer), it’s clear the years of chasing criminals and the escalating toll of drug violence have worn away at his enthusiasm.

“The gang situation is getting bad,”  he stated. “They’re moving into the rural areas. They know we have limited resources and are limited in what we can do. Everyone’s got a gun.”

As proof of the increased risk he faces, he related an incident from last May when he responded to a shoot-out in the Woodland projects.

“There were four guys behind a car shooting at four guys on a porch. This was at midday, noon, with kids running around in the streets... It’s gotten crazy out there.”

Though Ryan admits he’ll miss some aspects of the job, he says he has more than enough to keep him busy after retiring.

“I’m going to be doing a lot of genealogy research. I’ve traced my ancestors back to the 14th century. I’ve got 6,200 names on my computer to research.”

He also has the support of his wife, who works just down the road from their home at the Woodland Supermarket.

“She knows it’s time. She knows I’m fed up. All our bills are paid off and I’ve got a pension coming, so we know we’ll be all right.”