Family gives 126 years of service

Deepa Bharath

When Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Dave Walker first came to the department

32 years ago, he had no idea what he was getting into.

He hadn’t even been to the police academy.

“They put me in a car, told me to listen to the radio and asked me

to go around an area,” Walker said, with a laugh. “I didn’t have a

clue about what I was doing.”

When Walker graduated from the academy, he not only served as a

respected officer in the department, but lead the way for the youth

who desired to become police officers.

The 58-year-old, who celebrated his retirement Wednesday at the

Neighborhood Community Center, is one of the last of the very first

group of officers who served the city.

“My serial number is 154,” he said. “I’m one of the last in the

hundreds in this department.”

Walker’s official retirement date was Nov. 30. But he has been on

disability for two years after a traffic accident and other health

issues.

He has also been a Costa Mesa resident for 31 years.

“I bought my home for a little under $25,000 in 1972,” he said.

“At the time I hadn’t planned to stay on here forever. But we just

liked that street, the neighborhood and the city so much, we didn’t

want to leave.”

Walker’s entire family has been a significant part of the Police

Department. His wife, Janie Walker, was a reserve officer from 1976

until 2001, when she had to retire after she was hit by a drunk

driver. Both his sons, Ben and Matt, as well as his daughter, Jamie,

and niece, Amanda Shidler, have worked with the Explorer program.

Janie’s father Robert Moody was also a captain with the Costa Mesa

Police Department and served the department for 32 years.

“Between all of us, we have given 126 years of our lives to this

department,” Janie Walker said. “And we’ve all loved every minute of

it.”

Dave Walker said he will miss being on the job.

“I look at these new black-and-white cars and it suddenly hits me

how much I’m going to miss it all,” he said.

Walker has had several unforgettable calls, but the one he

struggled with most was an incident when a man, who barricaded

himself in his home, came out with a pointed gun and was shot by

officers, including his wife.

“It was traumatic because Janie and I were both there,” he said.

“She responded to the call and I was the supervisor.”

They had to get another supervisor on scene after the shooting so

there wouldn’t be a conflict of interest, Walker said.

“This is not like one of these television cop shows where you

shoot and kill someone and forget about it,” he said. “It stays with

you forever.”

Walker will be sorely missed in the department, said Costa Mesa

Police Chief John Hensley.

“He brought balance and maturity to the job,” he said.

Walker has also committed himself to putting together a history of

the department, Hensley said.

“A lot of sergeants and senior officers are retiring,” he said.

“And this would make sure our history doesn’t get lost, but is

memorialized.”

The one true legacy Walker leaves behind, however, is the Explorer

program, said Lt. Ron Smith.

“He made it what it is today,” he said. “He put a lot of time and

effort into it. He has given a lot of young people focus, direction,

motivation and inspiration.”

Walker has also been a positive presence in the department, Smith

said.

“He is a warm, caring person and always managed to add that touch

of humor to everything he handled,” he said. “He’s greatly respected

in the department for his ability to be who he is.”