Corinth Police Chief Retires

Retiring Police Chief Jerry Garner leaves 54 years in law enforcement ­­— the last 5 1/2 as chief of the Corinth Police Department and the Shady Shores police, which doesn’t have it’s own
department but contracts with Corinth for police services.

But many don’t know he is an accomplished writer. In addition to teaching law enforcement, he plans to utilize his writing skills in retirement. 

Chief Garner was a senior at Angelo State University in 1969, majoring in journalism and working for San Angelo Standard-Times and as a news department intern for a local TV station. “I covered the police beat, found it interesting, and decided that it was what I wanted to do,” Chief Garner said. He embarked on a career that he calls “helping people.” 

That year, he joined the Victoria and San Marcos Police Departments. In 1973, he joined the Lakewood, Colorado, Police Department. He spent most of his career in Colorado, serving as Chief of the Fort Lupton and then the Greeley police departments for about 12 years.

He holds a master’s in the administration of justice and is an expert in law enforcement leadership. He has taught and lectured at prestigious institutions such as the FBI National Academy, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. He authored 14 books — with the 15th on the way — and over 200 articles on policing topics. 

The Corinth Police Department’s mission is to preserve the quality of life in the community by providing protection and exceptional customer service. 

“We are fully staffed and authorized to have 40 law enforcement officers. There are two below. For our current estimated population, 24,044, that’s plenty,” the chief said.

“Our most frequent and dangerous calls are for reckless/speeding driving on the interstate. I worry about my officers getting run over,” Chief Garner said. “We also have calls for family violence and vehicle break-ins. Corinth and Shady Shores have very little crime compared to other Dallas cities – it’s pretty safe.” 

As Chief, he shares that there is no typical day. “There can be a crisis or just going to meetings or doing paperwork.” 

“You can be passionate regardless of rank, and from my point of view, I led a group of passionate police officers. They are the best with whom I have worked.”

He feels with sincerity that Corinth hires top-notch police officers. “We require that our officers have a high school education, but background is most important. We strive to hire good people.”

Chief Garner’s pet peeve is when someone criticizes law enforcement without knowing what law enforcement is about. 

“Self-appointed experts irritate me.” 

But on a happy note, “Corinth and Shady Shores residents aren’t bashful about expressing themselves positively. And we appreciate that,” Chief Garner said. 

He communicated with the residents of Corinth and Shady Shores one-on-one as he met them. “I also take advantage of council and civic club meetings as much as possible.”

The chief comments that most officers are not “danger junkies.” Instead, they dare to track down a bad guy and always when the situation isn’t easy.

When someone asks about going into law enforcement as a career, Chief Garner answers, “You won’t get rich, but if you want to help people, you want to go into law enforcement.”

His one wish for his police officers is that they stay healthy both mentally and physically throughout their entire careers.