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 Jacqueline Hough | The Daily Herald Longtime Woodland Police Chief Don Ryan will retire at the end of December. A new police chief will be sworn in on Oct. 20. |
And to make sure he will not be tempted to come back, he has not renewed any of his certifications. “I won’t be certified after January 1,” he said. “I made a conscious effort not to stay in law enforcement.”
For years, he has been the constant in keeping the town of Woodland safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ryan admits he sleeps whenever he can. “I am surprised that my wife has put up with it for 17 years,” he said.
When the phone rings, day or night, Ryan answers it even at two in the morning. “Everyone in town has my number,” he said. “It’s not just dispatch. It’s individuals.”
His reason for retirement was simple. “I’ve spent all these years on the job. I know I am slowing down. It’s just time for me to sit back,” he said.
One thing he is looking forward to is to be able to sleep all night. “And basically get up when I want to get up,” Ryan said.
While his wife works for another year as the manager of the Woodland Supermarket, he said he will become a house husband. “She is suppose to teach me how to cook and take care of the house,” he said with a laugh.
Once she retires, the Ryans plan to travel around the country in a camper they purchased a few months ago. Ryan and his wife, Susan, have two adult daughters and seven grandchildren.
Born and raised in Rutland, Vt., Ryan moved Florida when he was young. “I was a ski bum in Vermont as a kid,” he said.
After high school, he joined the military where he was part of the Military Police for six years. Then he was at the Clearwater Police Department in Florida for nine years. While there, he earned a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.
He left law enforcement to buy a store, the Minuteman in Woodland and ran it for a few years until he sold it. Then he worked as an area supervisor for Jernigan Oil Company for about six years.
“I really missed the police work,” he said. Ryan applied and became chief of Woodland in 1992. In his 17 years, one change Ryan has seen is the rise in gang activity in the town of 832 people. “Your gangs are gravitating to smaller communities and we don’t have the resources to handle them as well as the big towns,” he said.
Jesse Stevens, a sergeant with the Northampton Sheriff’s Office, will be sworn in as the new police chief on Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. at the town hall in the board room. Recently, the town received federal stimulus monies for full-time police officer position. Also two part-time officers will be hired.
“It will make the new chief’s life easier,” Ryan said. “I can see some light at the end of the tunnel for Woodland.”
Stevens was a drug agent in Georgia for five years and a patrolman in Orlando, Fla., for four years. Stevens has been with Northampton for three years. “I think he is going to make a good chief,” Ryan said.
Nine applicants were narrowed down to two candidates — Stevens and an officer from Goldsboro. The town unanimously chose Stevens. “He has his job cut out for him. He will have his hands full,” Ryan said.
Ryan said two things make a good police chief. “First and foremost, you wanted to be interested in solving problems for the community and try to clean up the streets.”
He noted last October he put 22 people in jail. “And for a small town that’s a lot,” Ryan said. “In 2007-08, my crime doubled in Woodland because of gang problems.”
Ryan went to the Northampton County Commissioners for help and they agreed to put two deputies on specialized assignment for him. “They have been doing this for a year and it has made a difference,” he said.
Ryan said once Stevens becomes chief, he will be there to assist him and not leave “high and dry.” “I will try to help him the best I can so he can get the job done,” Ryan said.
Woodland Mayor Jay Jenkins said the town hates to see Ryan retire. “He has been a tremendous asset to the town of Woodland,” Jenkins said. “He has put in a lot of dedication and commitment.”
He noted Ryan is a very involved citizen who cares about the town. “We are glad he is going to stay in Woodland. We just hate to see him go as the police chief,” Jenkins said.
He added he is looking forward to Stevens being the new chief. “I feel like he is not only going to be a good asset to Woodland, but also a great role model as well,” Jenkins said.
Ryan said he has enjoyed working for the town and thanks people for supporting him. He said he loves the area and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
“I like the people. We have a great community,” Ryan said. “People bend over backwards to help one another out here.”
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