Police Chief Danny Whiteley has held his position for 22 years, making him the longest-serving chief of police in Poplar Bluff’s history. Now, ahead of his retirement in September, he is seeing a longtime goal come to fruition with the construction of the new Poplar Bluff Police Department.
Elected officials recognized Whiteley as they toured the nearly finished PBPD building Thursday at 911 Shelby Road. After the tour, Congressman Jason Smith presented Whiteley with a congressional record honoring his decades of service.
“I was very excited and certainly proud to get it, especially from Congressman Jason Smith,” Whiteley said.
Smith thanked Whiteley for his friendship and guidance over the years as he handed him the resolution.
“All the stuff you’ve done for me, you’ve been a great friend. You are one of my closest advisors when it comes to anything law enforcement,” Smith said.
Other elected officials present were Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, state Sen. Jason Bean of the 25th District, state Rep. Hardy Billington of District 152, Butler County Presiding Commissioner Vince Lampe and Cameron Bunting Parker, House of Representatives candidate for District 150.
Officials were impressed with the 27,000-square-foot facility, its technology and the forethought put into it.
“It is huge. I like the fact that they’ll be able to grow into it as well,” Parker said.
Before construction, the PBPD invested in a manpower analysis study projecting the facility’s employment and space needs over the next 40 years.
“We didn’t want to under-build the facility,” noted Deputy Chief Mike McClain.
Whiteley added even with its state-of-the-art features and extra space, the building is $400,000 under budget and progressing ahead of schedule. Officers will likely begin moving in next month.
“It’s like a dream come true. Even today I have to convince myself that it’s really happening and we’re really standing in it,” he said.
“I have not seen a facility this amazing (before) but Poplar Bluff always outdoes themselves,” said Smith.
With highways 60 and 67 expanding in large part through citizens’ involvement, he added, “Now they’re making sure that their community is even safer and making sure that their law enforcement has the necessary facilities, necessary equipment to keep Poplar Bluff safe.”
Smith looked to the staffing struggles of Seattle, New York City and Los Angeles to underline the importance of keeping police departments well-equipped and retaining officers.
“We don’t want Poplar Bluff to be like those cities. We want to make sure that our law enforcement wants to stay here, our law enforcement are equipped with everything they need to protect our friends and neighbors,” he said.
Whiteley is set to retire next month. He said he owes his success to the men and women of the PBPD, because “A chief of a state troop’s or a highway patrol captain’s career will be no better than what the officers under them provide, and I certainly owe everything to the retired and current officers of the Poplar Bluff Police Department.”