PPD Lieutenant Bruce Ham– Protecting the citizens of Perry for 30 years

Retiring Perry Police Lt. Bruce Ham said he definitely has no plans to be sitting around at home now that his working days are behind him.

There’s the ever-present “honey do” list of chores and tasks, spending time with his grandchildren and spending more time with wife Crystal.

“I’ve been talking about it for more than a year,” Ham said Wednesday at a retirement luncheon at the Perry Arts Center. “It’s time. You know when it’s time.”

More than 100 friends, co-workers in law enforcement, well-wishers, city and county officials and former workers were on hand to show their appreciation for the 30-year veteran of the Perry Police Department.

They feasted on barbecue, cole slaw, baked beans, iced tea and lemonade provided by Sonny’s BBQ.

“Bruce asked that we hurry up,” said Police Chief Stephen Lynn as he introduced Perry Mayor Jimmy Faircloth. “It’s gratifying to see members of the police family, the fire department family and others in the county here.”

Faircloth said Perry was known for safety, and Ham embodied the best of the city.

“It’s the attitude, the commitment, the dedication and their interaction with people,” Faircloth said. “You can’t teach it; it’s something you’re born with.”

“Bruce, I can’t remember a time when you weren’t around,” said Council member William Jackson. “I want to thank you for those 30 years.”

“Bruce influenced me, Bruce taught me,” said Valdosta Police Chief and former Perry police officer Brian Childress. He noted that Perry was ranked the 17th safest city in Georgia, “and it’s because of people like Bruce.”

Childress then went on to thank Ham for his leadership and reminded those attending to be like Ham and be proactive.

“He is the only reason I became a police chief is because of you,” Childress said, facing Ham. “Everything I do in law enforcement I modeled after you.” The two men embraced as applause filled the room.

Maj. Bill Phelps then paid tribute to Ham by reading “I Am The Officer,” an anonymously written poem about the many roles a police officer has to play in performing his duties. The poem closes with these lines: “And when you watch a person die / And hear a battered baby cry / Then do you think you can be / All these things you ask of me?”

“That’s really about Bruce,” Phelps said. “He’s been protecting the citizens of Perry.”

He added that people tell him, “y’all lock people up, and bad people know not to come here, and it’s because of people like Bruce. He helped make Perry a great place to raise a family.”

Ham was conscientious and detailed oriented, said Capt. Heath Dykes of the Criminal Investigative Division, who recounted a marijuana bust he and Ham took part in. The men could not find it at the suspect’s residence, and even the drug-sniffing dogs were baffled at first, Dykes said.

“Then Bruce noticed a bucket of bird seed the dogs went back to, and he brushed some of it off the top and finally pulled out a 5-pound bag of marijuana,” Dykes said. “I still have that picture in my office of Bruce holding the bag of marijuana.”

Tuesday night, Dykes said, he posted a notice on facebook of Ham leaving the police department.

“In two hours I got 102 likes and about 50 comments,” Dykes said. “That tells a lot of how much he was appreciated.”

Lynn gave some statistics related to Ham’s career: 5,572 incident reports; almost 3,200 citations; and he made 22,170 calls.

Crystal Ham, his wife, was presented with flowers and a certificate thanking her for her support during his career that ran from March 25, 1987, to Aug. 15, 2016.

Ham was presented a shadow box containing the U.S. flag that flew over the police station on Aug. 4 of this year, his service revolver and other insignia.

“This is the one he’s been waiting for,” Lynn said as he handled the Certificate of Retirement and read it.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Ham said as he took the certificate. “I’m not a wordy one, but I don’t know what else to say except thank you.”

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