By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

With over 20 years of dedicated law enforcement service for the people of Jemison and priceless skills and experiences tucked under his belt, Officer Bobby Tucker of the Jemison Police Department has officially retired.

The Jemison Police Department honored Tucker, who served the department for 15 years, with a retirement luncheon ceremony on Oct. 6.

Tucker officially retired on Sept. 10, mere months before turning 62.

“It’s time to slow down,” Tucker said. “When you get to a certain age, you need to slow down.”

Tucker wore several hats throughout his law enforcement career. He conducted code enforcement, animal control and fulfilled other duties with fire departments and Jemison PD.

Tucker was Jemison Fire Chief from 1995 to 2009.

In 2003, he started code enforcement as a Planning and Zoning Official with the Jemison PD, ultimately coupling his service with the Thorsby Fire Department.

“I was with the fire department nearly 24/7, but I got to the point now, where I want to slow down and enjoy life,” Tucker said. “So that’s what I’m doing now. I’ll make that milestone.”

To have “something to do” during retirement, Tucker works 10 hours weekly doing code enforcement for the Thorsby Fire Department.

Tucker’s years in law enforcement compiled a colorful repertoire of experiences — several of which landed tales into local folklore and articles into local and regional newspapers.

For examples, Tucker detailed some of the greatest challenges he faced while serving the people of Chilton County.

“You would never think this,” Tucker said. “I was called down here [Clanton] three different times with deer that had been in buildings. I had to tranquilize them.”

Tucker said it is not unusual for a buck to find itself in a startled office setting after crashing through a window.

“If they see their reflection, they’ll think it’s another deer, and they’ll charge it — and that’s how they wind up going into the building,” Tucker said, explaining that tranquilizing the animals allows for safe, unharmed relocation.

Another hefty challenge for Tucker was tranquilizing alligators, such as 350-pound, 10-year-old, nine-and-one-half footer discovered on County Road 131 in Jemison in 2010.

The alligator was a fighter, and even 30 minutes after tranquilization, it persisted. A Chilton County deputy eventually terminated the beast when neutralization and relocation proved impossible, according to a 2010 story published by The Clanton Advertiser.

The incident made several headlines.

Working with law enforcement was difficult, Tucker said, but it was also fulfilling.

“I enjoy it because you’re doing stuff to help people,” Tucker said. “It’s rewarding for me to help people because that’s what you do as a public servant.”

Tucker said law enforcement officers often get up in the morning wondering if they will return home.

“A lot of people look at them like, ‘That’s your job — you’ve got to do that.’ But it’s not. They picked that,” Tucker said. “And whether they do a good job or not is whether they enjoy it or not. And I did. I enjoyed all of it and the guys I worked with.”