Missouri Trooper Darrin Tackett faced many tough challenges in his 30-plus years on the force. However, retirement may prove to be his toughest assignment yet.
Tackett says he actually reached his eligible date for retirement nearly five years ago, but he continued to work. He put in his last day Dec. 9 but says he immediately missed the camaraderie of his fellow officers. His final day of service was Jan. 1 of the new year.
“I have been with some of these guys almost my entire career. I don’t have any brothers, but these guys are pretty close,” says Tackett.
He admits, “The first two weeks [of not going to work] I was a mess.”
Not everything about his job is a “miss,” he says. He won’t miss the dread and unease he often felt when he was dispatched to the scene of a wreck, particularly to accident scenes that were near his beloved hometown of Doniphan, where his family resides.
“I know almost everyone, so working accidents is always a hard thing. I don’t want to see anyone hurt,” he says
Tackett says he has “seen some things” that he won’t likely ever forget, and says, “When I consider that, I feel ten times better about being retired.”
He also says, “I have two little grandchildren, and when they are ready to start hunting and fishing I want to spend that time with them.” Adalynn, 4, and Zander, 1, are the children of his daughter Stephanie Berrong and her husband, Kody.
The Tacketts also have a daughter Allison, who is married to Dawson Deckard.
A 1984 Doniphan High School graduate, Tackett married his childhood sweetheart, Marcia (formerly Bridges). She graduated from Doniphan in 1987.
After graduating he did sawmill and construction work for awhile, then took a job at Briggs & Stratton.
He’d applied for a position with the Missouri State Patrol, and five months later he got accepted as part of the Patrol’s 63rd Recruit Class. He graduated Dec. 7, 1990.
Tackett began his duty Dec. 26, 1990, with Troop I, Zone 3, in Crawford County. In 1993, he and his family transferred back home to Ripley County where he was promoted to corporal and assigned to Troop E, Zone 2 in Ripley and Butler Counties. In 1997 he was promoted to corporal and designated assistant supervisor of Zone 2.
He earned another stripe in 2003, when he was promoted to sergeant.
Tackett says, “At some point they changed my title to Master Sergeant. It was the same job, only a different title to indicate you were supervising other officers, who are really like your family.”
Marcia, who is the Ripley County Collector, is also dedicated to public service, and has no immediate plans to retire.
Looking back over more than three decades in law enforcement, Tackett says he has seen many changes, mostly technological.
“It’s been amazing. Back when I started, our radios were huge, and our ability to communicate was limited. Today, the radios are much smaller and the ability to talk to anyone in the state could be possible,” he says.
Tackett reflects, “Our patrol cars now have video and audio capability, and some officers have body cameras. The difference all this makes is unreal.”
During his career troopers made the change from revolvers to semiautomatic weapons.
“Crime is always a factor, something we all live with that never changes. But I am thankful to live and work in a place where law enforcement is still respected and appreciated,” says Tackett.
Tackett’s job has taken him to many different locations, but he says, “I have visited nice places, but there is no better place to live than here in Southern Missouri. I always want to come back home.
“It’s been a privilege to be able to work in my home community and to try to make it a better place for all of us,” he says.