Edna Police Chief Announces Retirement
By John Meng Publisher/Editor After serving the City of Edna for 36 years, Police Chief Clinton Wooldridge has announced his retirement which will be effective Jan. 1, 2021.
To put his time of service in perspective, Wooldridge began his law enforcement career in Edna at the age of 21, when President Ronald Reagan was reelected to a second term; the original Apple Macintosh computer went on sale; Ghostbusters and The Terminator were big at the box office; Michael Jackson won acclaim for his Thriller album; and the cost of a first-class stamp was 20 cents.
“I made the decision (to retire) shortly after the constable election in March,” said Wooldridge, who lost his bid for the Precinct 2 Constable position to Joel Price.
“I talked with the city council and the city manager at that time. But, from then to now, a lot of things have changed. I talked with the mayor and he told me to stay as long as I wanted, but we agreed that January 1st was a good time to retire,” he said.
Wooldridge quickly mentioned that he is not leaving his position because of any disagreements or negative feelings, but that the recent election compelled him to reflect upon his career.
“I’m not leaving because I’m mad or anything. During the constable election, I somewhat envisioned myself as not being the police chief anymore and I kind of liked it,” he said.
After the election, the chief did a little soul searching and then spoke with Edna Mayor Lance Smiga about retirement.
As police chief since Feb. 2002, Wooldridge has many accomplishments and achievements to his credit. He has overseen the upgrade of the department’s equipment and vehicles and systematically enhanced the policy manual. “I’ve changed the patterns on the cars too,” commented Wooldridge. “I decided to do something that closely represents Edna as Flag City and that’s why I chose that design for our cars. I also changed our uniform patches as well to show more of Edna’s culture.”
But of his accomplishments in his career, Wooldridge is most proud of the relationships he has fostered between the department and various segments of the community.
“Even before I became police chief and when I was working as an investigator,” he said, “I developed strong relationships with our schools. The principals would often call me directly when they had a problem, and it stayed that way through the time at which the county took over the school resource officer duties. That was something I was very proud of.
“I’ve always been proud of his activities in the community, such as cooking hamburgers for Project Graduation every year and participating in the back-to-school rallies, the giveaways and National Night Out with the Rotary Club.
“Those of things I’m most proud. The people too. I’m proud of the people working at the police department. Every one of them have come to work and seldom call in sick. We have a very good group of employees that are very dependable.”
Law enforcement is notorious for the high-level of stress and professional burnout it inflicts upon officers, yet Wooldridge managed a 36-year career without burn out.
“I choose to be happy at work every day. You can ask almost everybody and they will tell you that. I come in and I choose to enjoy my day and choose to have fun at work. That’s how I’ve avoided burnout,” said Wooldridge.
Wooldridge also said that he has experienced some major life changes since 2008.
“First of all, at my mother-in-law’s funeral, I realized that I need to get to know Jesus Christ and follow him. I’ve done that with all of my energy and all of my strength. I threw myself into it and that has changed who I am. Before that time, many of things I did, I did for me. Now, most of the things I do, I do for others.
“That was a big change. Plus now I also have two grandchildren, and if a grandchild doesn’t change a person, that person is made of rock.
“Spending time with my grandchildren is my favorite thing to do. I’ve been blessed with a small home next to theirs, so I visit on weekends and days off. My daughter-in-law probably gets tired of me, but I’m not going to stop,” he laughed.
“Those two things have changed me dramatically. When I became a police officer, I wanted to enforce the law just like every other officer. That was my goal. Somewhere between being investigator and my decision to follow Christ, I now desire to help others."
Regarding his plans for the future, Wooldridge said that he will be working on his resume for the first time in 36 years.
“I might be looking for a job in law enforcement or something else…but probably not. Law enforcement is all I know.
“Edna has been really good to me, both the community and the organization,” he added. “It’s given me many opportunities that I never expected to receive. I’m thankful for all the friends I’ve made. There are a lot of people I care about here.”