By Kirk Boxleitner

kboxleitner@arlingtontimes.com

ARLINGTON — Brian DeWitt will be serving on the Arlington Police Department until the end of August, but his friends and neighbors couldn’t wait that long to thank him for his service.

DeWitt and his wife, Jeri, were surprised by an informal farewell celebration, just outside the Arlington Pharmacy July 13, and while his fellow officers laughingly reminded him that he could park his patrol vehicle right next to the sidewalk without getting ticketed, DeWitt conscientiously found a parking spot.

“He has such grace that I had to honor it,” said Terry Marsh, one of several former city employees who, along with current city staff, came out to wish him well. “I wish I had his calmness.”

Marsh even put his woodworking skills to use on DeWitt’s behalf. He carved so many wooden feathers, on which the community could write goodbyes and affectionate sentiments, that it left his saws dull. He also assembled a planter that bore the words “Policing With Grace” and “Thank You for 100 Percent.”

Marsh relayed to DeWitt how many Arlingtonians had passed on their positive opinions to him.

“You treat everyone with value, whether they’re homeless or poor or not,” Marsh said. “You’ve been paid so many compliments that you’ve never heard, but those are the ones that have the most meaning.”

DeWitt expressed his appreciation, but was otherwise a man of few words, noting that he’d served 41 years in law enforcement, 26 of them in Arlington, and wished to retire while he was still relatively young.

“I’m staying in town,” DeWitt said. “Only now, I’ll be a commuter.”

DeWitt has agreed to work for his brother’s printing company in Kent, putting together operation manuals and stepping in as a manager.

“The world of law enforcement is changing, and I’m getting old,” DeWitt said. “A lot of the friends I made there are already gone. In the end, you just kind of know when it’s time to step down and let the younger generation take over.”

Police Chief Jonathan Ventura pointed out that he still meets people who can remember having DeWitt as their D.A.R.E. officer more than a decade ago.

“Of course, we planned to commemorate his retirement as well but when the community wants to step up and do something like this, before we even have a chance to, that really says something,” Ventura said.