Oct 10, 2008 8:33 am US/Central
After 38 Years, Retiring From The SPPD
This weekend, the St. Paul Police Department is recognizing a man who loves his job so much, he can't quite fathom retirement.
After 38 years on the job, Cmdr. Greg
Pye can answer a lot of questions, except one: When is he going to retire?
"I don't know,"
Pye said. "I don't know yet. The bad thing about retiring is that I would then have to grow up. I will then have to be an adult and decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have enjoyed these years tremendously. They were a lot of fun."
Pye keeps a photo of his graduating class from 1970 in his office. He was a student at the University of Minnesota, planning to become a teacher, and he worked part-time in a hospital emergency room. It was there he saw St. Paul police officers helping people in crisis.
"I was impressed by what they do,"
Pye said. "I was thinking this might be a field to explore."
Pye joined the force and started to move up the ranks. In 1991 he because a lieutenant and became a commander in 1999. During his career, he also spent 22 years on the SWAT team.
"I enjoyed those years," he said. "You have a very close camaraderie with the officers that are involved in this. You get exposed to advanced training."
Looking back at his 38 years on the force, what he's most proud of, might surprise a lot of people.
"I think my biggest accomplishment, the thing I am truly most proud of, is the fact that I was able to stay married for all that time -- and it's mainly through her,"
Pye said. "You have your ups and downs, but primarily they've all been up. And through it all, she has been very patient and understanding."
One of the most-memorable cases
Pye said he investigated is an unsolved double homicide, known as the
chloroform murders, that happened 26 years ago.
"If I could go back in time, 38 and a half years, I would do it again,"
Pye said. "I think doing good police work is one of the best things that somebody can do."
Pye will be presented with the Rowan Award Saturday night at the annual St. Paul Police Ball at the
RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul.
