BOWIE, Texas (KAUZ) – The City of Bowie on Tuesday honored the city's longest-serving police officer with 50 years of service.
Lynetta Slaton began working for the Bowie Police Department on May 14, 1974 as a dispatch supervisor. She was eventually promoted to communications commander and eventually to lieutenant, reaching her current position. She said what started as her simple summer job eventually became her entire life.
Slaton was also the city's first female police officer, paving the way for other women in law enforcement. She received some harsh comments and criticism when she first joined, which she said was discouraging. She was drawn to her temporary job as she began to build her family within her department.
In fact, during her stay, she found her late husband, who was a state trooper. Then she had a son.
“I had my kids while I was working here, so I've finished my entire life here… and the people I work with, that's why we've been around for 50 years. I love it here. Thank you for coming. Thank you,” Slaton told the station.
Slaton said she remembered not only herself but her husband during this week's Police Week. She lost her husband in the line of duty in September 2010.
A statement released by the city praised Slaton as a wonderful woman and a pillar of her small town. She said it caught her off guard that her colleagues and her city were celebrating her 50th anniversary, because she had forgotten about her own anniversary.
“It doesn't seem real. I think that's why I didn't remember that day, that today was the day,” Slaton said. “Because I can't imagine growing up here for 50 years. When I look in the mirror, I can. I can imagine it. I love it here because everything in my life has been influenced here.”
The department surprised her with a lunch for friends and family, and Mayor Timothy Adams later released a statement in her honor.
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