BOISE -- Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson says over the past decade he's been one small part of a great department, "I know with this retirement and my leaving the focus has been on me, but over my career the focus has been on 'we.'"
Masterson retires at the end of the month as the second longest serving police chief in Boise history.
After serving for nearly three decades in Madison, Wisconsin, Masterson took this job 10 years ago. It was a turbulent time in city politics with Boise still healing from a massive scandal in City Hall.
"I happened to see an ad for the Boise police chief," said Masterson. "I still today don't know why I put in."
Masterson was hired. He put a uniform on right away, and said it was baptism by fire.
"About three weeks after I became chief, I was the first responder to a homicide downtown," he said. "A few weeks later I went out on a call with my SWAT team, SOU, where an individual had duck-taped a handgun to his hand and his head and was threatening suicide. I tell you, it's overwhelming in the first few weeks. You get here and say, 'Gosh, what are you getting yourself into.'"
But, after several people in the community reached out to him, he settled in and began to lead the department into an era focused on community policing. Although, he refuses to take credit for that, "I've stood on the shoulders of giants."
During his tenure, the neighborhood officers, the refugee liaison program, the Veterans Support Network, and more have helped connect BPD with the community, and won the department numerous awards. But again, Masterson says he's one part of a great department, "There's a real myth out there that the one guy at the top is the one who makes the decisions that runs the organizations. The truth is that I have a very talented organization, from our civilians all the way up to our command staff."
He does have some regrets. He says he'd like the department to be more reflective of the diversity in this community, with more women on the force.
When asked what he's most proud of, Masterson said, "Probably the greatest thing I can say is that I'm proud that we did a little bit more to make the community safer... It's just been the greatest job in the world in terms of policing."
Masterson's official last day on the job is January 29th. We asked him if he wanted to go into a career in politics, considering that's what previous Chief Jim Tibbs did. But, he said he just wants to retire, spend more time with his wife, and maybe take a vacation to a warmer climate. Although, he says he won't move out of Boise, calling it a nearly perfect place.
