It’s not often that a law enforcement officer’s retirement party makes it into the bright lights. Usually they put away their badge and their gun quietly surrounded only by family and co-workers who have become close friends due to the nature of the work. They walk away from the job that they loved for so many years of their lives and the community’s that had been safer due to them being there. Even with this typical fade into retirement, I wasn’t surprised when I looked up at our city hall marquise and read the words telling me that Lane County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dan Olsen was retiring and that all were invited to the town party being thrown for him on December 17, 2015. You see, Creswell (OR), population 5,102 is a special town and Deputy Dan is a special part of us, especially to our kids.
Most of what I know about Deputy Dan comes word of mouth and from hearing snippets of his story as he stood talking in a group of fellow first responders. I moved here in 2008 and I believe he was already a part of the community. Creswell contracts with Lane County for its law enforcement protection and in that contract we get deputies. We’re not just a part of their jurisdiction like other parts of Lane County, they are assigned to us. They are our own. During lean times, the town has had just one and at other more affluent times we’ve had three. But up until last month, Deputy Dan has always been one.
I believe he came to Creswell ten years ago. He had been a K9 handler, as well as, holding other specialized positions within the sheriff’s department. He didn’t come to us a fresh faced kid. He didn’t know the students at the high school because he himself had just recently graduated. He came to us weathered. He was worn multi-faceted by working the streets. One evening, he reminisced his assignment to Creswell stating he thought it was going to be awful. He planned on just doing his time here and moving back to something more exciting. It sounded almost as if being sent to Creswell was a punishment. But what he discovered when he started working here was something entirely different. He found he really like the people and the people really liked him. He integrated himself into the community and he was accepted and respected. In fact, I heard about Deputy Dan way before I ever met him. I learned about who he was as an officer and how he interacted with the community in the most unlikely of places-my living room from my sons. Although my oldest son talked about Deputy Dan when he was still in middle school, I heard more about him when he reached high school and my youngest son was in middle school.
My oldest would tell me about interactions that he and his friend’s would have with Deputy Dan and how they all respected him. He was strict but fair my son stated. Being able to earn a place in the teenage community that respects your authority is rare. But, Deputy Dan did it. He did what he had to do when somebody was breaking the law, but if the situation could be dealt with in a different manner, such as taking a kid home and turning him or her over to their parents, he would do so. He embodied community-based policing without having to run around telling everyone he was doing it. It was just the way he served and protected. He showed up at sporting events, standing stoically in the back of the parents flocked around the baseball field or to the side of the football bleachers. In fact, I heard him tell the story about how he planned to just do his time in Creswell while he stood talking to me and my Fire/EMS colleagues at Creswell High’s Homecoming football game. The kids of the town didn’t avoid him or ignore him because of his uniform. He had made a name for himself with them as someone who cared and was there for them. He was a positive role model. Like a good parent, he offered structure and firm but friendly guidance. Kids approached him to just stand around and chat which he obliged.
When I mentioned to my sons Deputy Dan was retiring their response was something to the effect of, “There goes the neighborhood.” That says a lot about the influence Deputy Dan had on the young people of this community. Generally a population that abhors any type of authority, he managed to earn their respect by just being a good guy and a good officer. I believe if anything were to happen in this town, a situation in which Deputy Dan was threatened, a whole community of teens would have his back. That says so much about this amazing officer that I am sad to see leave. In fact, he choose Halloween night as his last shift. Why? He spent the evening visiting with the kids. He even stopped by houses where he knew the teenagers were hanging out to shoot the breeze with them and their parents. He truly left a legacy. A badass, while at the same time, compassionate, he will be hard to replace. What will never be replaced are the memories we have of him. I think Creswell Presbyterian Church’s Facebook status summed it up in their invitation to Deputy Dan Olsen’s retirement party. “Come show your support for our beloved town deputy.” Happy Retirement Deputy Dan. You will be missed.
