The Emporia Gazette

February 13, 2012

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Emporia Deputy Police Chief Michael Lopez has seen a lot in his 35 years at the department, and he shared some of those memories at his retirement reception Thursday afternoon.

At his retirement party, he received a new laptop computer from the police department, a shadow box displaying all his badges and an award from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Lopez started at the Emporia Police Department on Jan. 1, 1973. This year, he decided it was time to retire.

“I remember my first paycheck for the month,” he said. “It was $550.”

Lopez has worked for seven police chiefs and in several departments during his tenure at the Emporia Police Department. He’s worked as a patrolman, a detective and as a lieuteuant in investigations. He has served as assistant chief of police and deputy chief of police. In 2007, he was the interim chief until Chief Gary Smith was hired.

Looking back, Lopez said there are many things he enjoyed during his time at the police department. He spent a lot of time working cases.

“The best (part) was working cases and putting together different pieces of (the case) from start to finish,” he said. “And getting the final results of either solving the crime or putting them in jail.”

Lopez said the cases he worked on took him all over the country. One case that sticks out in his mind was a murder of a gas station attendant by two young college kids who came to Emporia and wanted to get gas. When the attendant, David Liepold, wouldn’t let them barter, they executed him in the station’s bathroom. Before they were caught, the killers killed twice more — a hitchhiker they had picked up in Oklahoma and killed near New Mexico and a person in California. They were tracked from Emporia to Prairie, Okla. Lopez went to California numerous times to testify in their trial and to collect evidence, he said.

Through the years, Lopez spent most of his time as a supervisor. He spent 25 years as a supervisor and 10 years in investigations, he said. Those years have seen a lot of changes in the department in cameras and other equipment used in police investigations. He said the technology used to solve crimes has grown over the years.

“We’re not quite like CSI ... we’re not that sophisticated because we don’t have one hour to get it solved.”

Being in law enforcement certainly comes with its stresses. Lopez said the stress does not affect only the officers.

“The family also is a part of this,” he said.

Lopez said he has been happily married for 39 years to his wife, Mary. They have two sons. They also has four grandchildren.

“I think I’m going to be enjoying them more when I retire,” he said.

Lopez said family life isn’t always predictable when a family member is in law enforcement. Dinner isn’t always at the same time and there are school functions to try to get to.

“The family goes through what I go through,” he said.

Lopez offered some advice for rookies entering the field.

“Treat people like you want to be treated,” he said. “We’re human beings and sometimes you have ups and downs but you have to be above it. ... Do the best job that you can. You can only do so much and don’t take it home with you. Leave it at work.”

Lopez had some final words about his 35 years on the police force.

“I did the best job that I could,” he said. “... 35 years. It’s been very good to me. There’s been some bad things and some good things, but mostly good things.”

Lopez said over the next two to three months he’s going to take a sabbatical and get some work done on his house, travel and spend time with his grandchildren.