Sgt. Dale Barton and Officer Steve Brown described as “home grown” policemen “Barton and Brown, Brown and Barton! They have touched so many lives. They are our most highly profiled police officers,” said Ogden Police Chief Douglas Nordquist. Sgt. Dale Barton and Officer Steven Brown are retiring this month, having given, combined, nearly 50 years of service to the community. Sgt. Barton has been with the Ogden Police Department for 26 years and Officer Brown has been with the department for 20 years. Both men are “home grown,” as Barton said, growing up in Spencerport and having long family histories in this area. “We’ve been friends since childhood,” Barton said. “Our fathers and grandfathers were friends.” In fact, Barton and Brown recently discovered that both of their grandfathers had signed the original petition to pass the resolution to establish the Ogden Police Department that was brought before the town board on December 7, 1935. “Brown is a decent man. He goes out every day and does the job. He is dependable and reliable, down to earth. He treats everyone with dignity and respect. I am glad for him, but it will be a loss for the department,” the police chief said. In reference to Barton, Nordquist said, “Not only the department, but the entire town won’t appreciate what he has done here until he is gone. He is quiet and doesn’t say, ‘I did this. I did that.’ I am glad for Dale and his family, but we will miss him. He has a very professional image in the community, second to none.” “It is difficult to believe there are many in Ogden who have not been touched by these police officers, and appreciate the special legacy they are leaving that has involved our children and the DARE program,” Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard said. “Dale and Steve are hometown boys, and because of that, we, as residents, have enjoyed their outstanding commitment and dedication to our community.” “It has been my distinct pleasure to work with and know both of these individuals,” Laurie Boughter, vice principal at Spencerport High School said. “They have supported me throughout the years and I will truly miss them. But most importantly, the students of Spencerport will miss their wisdom and commitment to helping each and every one of them.” Sgt. Dale Barton graduated from Spencerport High School. He graduated with top honors from the Law Enforcement Class of the United States Air Force in 1973 and received the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal. In 1979, he was a public safety officer for Rochester General Hospital and later that year joined the Ogden Police Department. He graduated in 1980 from the Police Academy in Rochester and in 1983 graduated with distinction from Monroe Community College with an A.A.S. degree in Criminal Justice/Police Science. He is also a 1996 graduate of the FBI National Academy. Officer Steven Brown graduated from Spencerport High School in 1976. Like Barton, he went to Monroe Community College and graduated with an A.A.S. degree in Criminal Justice/Police Science. Brown worked for the Village of Spencerport Department of Public Works and was in the Ogden Auxiliary Police for three years starting in 1982. He was a volunteer with the Spencerport Fire Department from 1977-1984 and again from 1987 to 1989. He worked briefly for the Fort Myers, Florida, Police Department in 1984 and was then hired by the Town of Ogden Police Department in 1985. “Dale Barton is the reason I wanted to work here,” Brown said. “I felt that is what I wanted to do, too. Dale has been my mentor through DARE and instrumental in my career.” Having a life-long friendship, both men say they feel it is fitting to end their careers together. Both officers said that a high point of their careers was working with the DARE program, a classroom program about substance and alcohol resistance education. Sgt. Dale Barton started the program in local schools and said he likes it because, “it is proactive and positive. I achieved a strong bonding with the community. I can’t tell you the number of times that something very positive has happened with the kids. There was once a little girl being sexually abused. She responded just as we practiced at school.” ... “Another time a student came home and found the home being burglarized. She was such a great witness (as she had been trained to be in DARE).” Brown, who also works with the program, agreed that DARE was an important part of his career. “It was great to be a DARE officer and be able to interact with so many wonderful children and parents and school staff. My goal was to let kids know that police are approachable and are there to help them.” Because the DARE program was a major part of both Barton’s and Brown’s careers, it is not certain what will happen to it in the future. Options are being considered. “They won’t have a full-time officer as we now do,” Barton said. “They won’t be able to do visitations in every class room.” They did visit every classroom from kindergarten through fourth grade in Spencerport, including St. John’s, and in Fairbanks Road Elementary School in the Churchville-Chili district. Chief Norquist said that at this point he and Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard have not yet spoken with school officials. “A change in DARE will be occurring and we will discuss this with the newly appointed superintendent (of Spencerport Schools) upon her arrival.” Brown said that his appointment in 1990 as the accreditation manager of the department was another high point. “In order to be accredited we had to meet 168 standards and participate in a three-day on-site assessment program. In 1991, Ogden Police Department was the smallest agency to achieve accreditation, and one of the earliest in Monroe County.” An important part of his career for Brown was in 1993 when he was a canine officer partnered with Grizzley. “Grizzley was the good looking one in the pair,” he joked. Asked what he likes best about his job and what he likes least about his job, Barton answered, “People to both. We see the best in society and the worst in society.” Barton also said that because of close community ties, he feels that if a policeman is in trouble in Ogden, someone is going to help him. “People are quick to render assistance. They care. They don’t see us as adversaries. This is our home - it always will be.” He said he feels there is not an “us vs. them mentality.” And because both men have long-time Ogden families with roots which reach back into community history, Barton said that the standard joke is that an officer will tell them that they stopped one of their relatives — and it is probably true, because if traced back far enough, “Who isn’t our relative?” Both Barton and Brown find the fatalities they deal with very difficult. “We often know the deceased or the people involved. We deal with tragedies and support the next of kin. We already have a rapport established (by knowing the people) and it can be a roller coaster of emotions,” Barton said. “You don’t forget the tragedies, but hope you can do something in a positive way. We take our losses hard, especially with the kids when we have tried to prevent it from happening (in DARE). We try to put a positive twist on the worst of situations by helping the people involved.” Barton said that being a police officer in this local department puts one much more under the microscope than it would in larger departments. “There is more of a presence of the community for both Steve and me.” He said that since he has joined the department, there has been a change in the mindset of how people perceive the Ogden Police Department. There is a greater degree of professionalism. “We deal with homicides and major felonies, a lot of major cases. I’ve seen the transformation of the department. We are now perceived to be very professional by peers and the community.” After retirement, Brown is looking forward to having more time with his wife, Kristine, and children, Rachael and Jenna. Both said their wives are understanding and supportive, but that it has been difficult for their children. Barton said that he is at the empty nest stage as his children, Heather, Allison and Chelsey, are grown, and that retirement will give him time to reconnect with his wife, his best friend, Sarah. “Now it is her turn,” he said. Barton and Brown want to acknowledge people who have influenced them and helped them. They cite former Police Chief Russ Ruhl who hired them, a former police chief, Roy “Tink” Burley, and the great staff of officers and clerical staff with whom they work. Clerk Phyllis Bruton, they said, is the backbone of OPD headquarters. In turn, Bruton said they will both be missed by their co-workers and the community. “With both of them being life-long residents, they know the community and the people. The patience that they exhibit when talking to citizens for complaints or even arrests, is unbelievable. Dale has a wonderful sense of humor and not a day goes by that we don’t laugh. This is sometimes a stressful job and we deal with some tragic events. It helps to have Sgt. Barton around.” Barton retires on June 23 and Brown on June 24. A retirement party will be held at the Hilton Exempt Club, 135 South Avenue, Hilton on Sunday, July 10 starting at 1:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Ogden Police Department. Some things never change |
