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Saying goodbye
Published January 1, 2009
An Albertville police officer is retiring after more than 28 years of service with the department, and a combined 37 years in military and civilian law enforcement.
Police Capt. Darrell Childress’ law enforcement career began about a year after he joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1971.
“When I first joined, (Air Force law enforcement) was divided into security and law enforcement,” Childress recalled. “Security watched the airplanes and ammo dumps. Law enforcement did the same thing we do here in civilian law enforcement — alarms, domestic violence, DUIs and traffic enforcement.
“That is where I received all my training. It was very valuable training,” Childress said.
Childress’ Air Force police training laid the foundation for continuing a career in law enforcement.
Following his discharge from the Air Force, he spent a year-and-a-half stint with the Boaz Police Department. During that time, he attended the police academy.
In September 1980, after speaking with Clinton Elmore and Ken Mote, Childress applied for a position with the Albertville department.
“I came to work and have been here ever since,” he said.
Childress retired on Dec. 3 with 28 years and three months of service. His final day of duty was Nov. 26, and Childress was honored with a retirement party at the department.
Childress rose through the ranks from a patrol officer to night shift captain in March 1983.
He held the position for 19 years.
“We were over everything. That’s why I stayed on nights, because I was pretty much my own boss at night,” he said.
The early days in that position were different than they are now.
“Back then, you didn’t have a gas station open from Gadsden to Huntsville after you rolled the sidewalks up at 10 o’clock,” he said. “Everything was different. When I started we had four or five cars, with two men to a car.
“The chief (Louie Townsend) only allowed us to have a transistor radio in the car that we would put on the dash. And when we’d go on a call, it would fall off.
“We’ve come a long way since then.”
Childress has served under five police chiefs – Townsend, Tommy Cole, Jerry Mitchell, Randy Amos and Benny Womack.
Childress said the worst part of his early years on night shifts was the jail.
“We only had one three-man cell for men and one female cell,” he recalled recently.
“In addition, I had all the responsibility of dispatch, patrol, the city, and everybody you had in jail — that was a headache.”
In spite of that, he wanted to stay on the night shift.
Eventually, in November 2000, he would become the warden of what was then the new city jail.
“We were averaging about 15 to 20 prisoners a day,” Childress said. “Today we are averaging, based on the forms we have to turn into the state, between 35 and 40.”
As with most who retire from a lengthy period of service, the most influential memory Childress will take with him, he said, “is the people.”
Still, he counted down the final 1,097 days until retirement.
“I’m not going to miss the job — I’ve had enough law enforcement — but I will miss the people,” he said.
Continuing his candid comments, he said, “When I went to the jail, I had a bad attitude about it. I didn’t want to be in there.”
In fact, he admitted, until he acquired the position, “The worst part of law enforcement was the jail.”
However, with time, his attitude changed.
“I have enjoyed working with the people, and working with their (prisoner’s) problems. I have had the opportunity to work with thousands of prisoners through the years, and counseled them on a number of issues, mental, spiritual, financial, family, drugs, alcohol – everything.
“It is now to the point that I have dealt with them, and their kids in the past, and now, in some cases, I’m dealing with their grandkids.
“I think it turned out for the best for me. It has been a good experience. I have enjoyed it. I have had some really good workers.”
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