PBPD officer retires after 33-year career

Joe Ward spent 30-plus years following his childhood dream of being a police officer.

He retired recently after serving with Poplar Bluff Police Department, where he made friends with coworkers, as well as those he arrested, and the public. Along the way, he received almost every honor given to area law enforcement.

Ward’s career began when he was 22, as a reserve with the PBPD on Aug. 2, 1990.

“When I was a kid riding the school bus, I would see policemen talking to people and it always interested me,” Ward said. “I started working at Riggs Wholesale in my late teens with Donnie Trout.”

When Trout became a full-time police officer, Ward asked how he could become an officer.

“He told me I needed to do my post hours so I could get certified as a police officer. You were only required 125 hours and now it’s 700-plus,” Ward said.

It was a career he enjoyed.

“I enjoy helping people and I feel in my years of law enforcement I have deterred some people from going down the wrong path throughout their life,” Ward said.

The best part is meeting and helping a lot of different people and watching the city change, Ward said.

“Years ago, there was a young girl traveling on foot through Poplar Bluff,” he recalled. “I saw her walking while I was working the midnight shift. I stopped and talked to her. Her name was Mariah. I spent time trying to get her to have a better outlook on life.

“The next morning, whenever I got off, I took her to my mom and dad’s so she could take a shower, and clean up. I called my wife, Christine, and asked her to bring clothes for the girl. ... She spent probably two weeks with my mom and dad. She finally decided to go home.”

The family chipped in to purchase a train ticket to her hometown in New York.

“A few weeks later, she sent me a letter telling me ‘thank you’ and to tell my family thank you for the kindness they showed her and wisdom on wanting to return home and be with her family,” he said.

Ward’s own family includes Christine, who works for Saint Francis Medical Center, and their two sons Dalton and Ethan. Dalton is married to Samantha and they have three boys, Dannan, Ganon and Jackson. Ethan and his wife, Mikayla, have two daughters, Joplin and Stevie.

His father, Butch, recently died. His mother Joanne’s “favorite thing is to cook and spend time with her grandkids, great-grandkids.”

He was raised to help others.

“I’ve learned from my mom and dad you always treat people the way you want to be treated,” he said. “I’ve had that philosophy my entire career. I’ve had people tell me whenever I would take them into custody I wasn’t like other officers.

“I’ve always told people, ‘I will treat you as good as you treat me because you’re a human being like I am.’ I understand people make mistakes in life. But, they have to be the person that wants to change the direction they’re heading.”

One of his most difficult calls was when a little boy was struck by a semi on the east side. Ward was working midnights at the time.

“I’m thinking it’s five o’clock in the morning. No little child is going to be out running the streets. I was the first officer on the scene. It was heartbreaking what I’m seeing,” he said. “The only thing we can figure out is there used to be an old flea market where the old NAPA Store was and his parents lived in the back. He got up that morning, got some money and was going across the highway to get candy.”

On another call, a fire call, parents said their child was still in the home and Ward could hear the child calling for help.

Ward was able to get to the child, but the boy did not survive.

“I went through the bedroom window and climbed on down into the basement and grabbed him and pushed him through that window to the firemen,” he said.

Incidents involving children are difficult.

“It’s really heartbreaking and challenging,” he said.

Again, Ward credits his family with helping him cope with challenging situations.

“You see a lot of sad times and you also see a lot of good times,” he said. “It takes family whenever you go home to be your support.”

Ward has “mixed emotions” on retirement.

“I know I will probably always miss the job and miss the people with whom I worked. This job is like a second family,” he said. “When you work every day with people, you create a bond. They’re just like family, your second family and you don’t want to see anyone leave.

“Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen so many people come and go in the department. I look back and realize they got to retire and now I’m getting to retire and enjoy life with my family.”

He’s the type of person to stay busy, he said.

“I always remember this one quote I’ve seen, ‘To do a great job is to love what you do’ and I definitely loved what I did,” he said.

It’s a different career today than when he started.

“My honest opinion is there’s no consequences in people’s actions anymore. They don’t care,” he said. “It’s a different society. People don’t understand how difficult being a police officer is. They ought to thank God every day there are people willing to risk their lives if they’re the ones who call 911 asking for help, and we are the ones who are going be there to do what we can to help them and save their lives if needed.”

Still, he has loved his job.

“It just takes a certain type of people to do this job and who are willing to sacrifice their time with their family,” he said. “It’s just not a Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 job. It is a commitment you have to be willing to make and sacrifice from spending nights and weekends and holidays away from your family.”