Jerry Gardner Will Wrap Up Decades As Cheney Police Chief In/Around: Cheney

Thu., Jan. 28, 1999

Amy Scribner Staff writer

He brought the first drug education program in Eastern Washington to local schoolchildren and watched a small community grow into a city.

Cheney Police Chief Jerry Gardner will retire in March after leading the department for a quarter of a century

“We hate to see him go,” said Lt. Greg Lopes, who, like Gardner, began working on the Cheney force in 1974. “It’s been a good, stable thing for us.”

Co-workers call him an accessible and fair boss.

“He’s one of the most approachable supervisors at that rank level that I’ve ever worked with,” said dispatcher Gregario Munoz.

Gardner took over as Cheney chief after working as a police officer in Pasadena, Calif. At 33, he was the youngest chief in Washington.

Gardner was instrumental in bringing Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) to town in 1987, making Cheney the first city in Eastern Washington to use the program.

He’s also overseen the growth of technology in the department, including the installation of a computer-aided dispatch system.

“We’ve made it a very progressive department,” he said.

But it’s the old-fashioned service that Gardner speaks of with pride.

Although the department has only one more officer than when he started as chief, Cheney officers still make it a point to respond to in-progress calls in less than one minute.

“We’ve developed a good, professional, responsive police department that still knows how to smile,” he said.

The 58-year-old hopes to pursue other interests after retiring.

A writer, he’s penned several articles for law enforcement trade journals. He’s also written an unpublished novel about his experiences as a cop in California.

Gardner may also look for consulting or teaching work.

He’ll remain in Cheney for at least two years, after which his wife will retire from her position as Cheney Middle School counselor.

“She’s going to buy me a big job jar,” he joked. “I’ll be keeping busy.”

No replacement has been named for Gardner, said acting City Administrator Bob Hudson.

That decision is left to Mayor Amy Jo Sooy, who is out of town and could not be reached for comment.

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