Wilkinson retires after 33 years of law enforcement service

After 33 years of service in law enforcement, Havre Police Capt. Bill Wilkinson retired Tuesday.

"For me it's hard to explain the difference you make and the people you help," Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson began his public service career with the Hill County Sheriff's Office in 1986, working as a dispatcher and jailer. 

He said he is originally from Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. In late 1969 or early in the 1970s his father, who was working for Bureau of Indian Affairs Roads Department, transferred and moved his family from Fort Berthold to Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. Wilkinson said he attended and graduated from Box Elder High School and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for six year, eight months and 13 days in the supply field.

After he left the Marines he came back to Rocky Boy, getting a job with Schlumberger oilfield services company during the oil boom in north-central Montana, he said. He added that he worked for the company for about six years before finding a job with Hill County Sheriff's Office. 

He said he never intended to make a career in law enforcement, but during the oil slump in the '80s he had heard about a part-time job at the Sheriff's Office from his ex-wife. He added that he started off as a part-time dispatcher before working his way to full-time dispatcher and full-time jailer.

Nov. 1, 1990, Wilkinson was hired on at the Havre Police Department as a police officer under Chief Michael Shortell. 

Wilkinson said he was in his early 30s at the time.

Wilkinson then worked his way up the chain of command, holding the positions of patrol officer first class, senior patrol officer and sergeant. He made the rank of lieutenant in 2008 before he was promoted to captain in 2010.

Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich said Wilkinson has been a great resource to the department throughout the years, and his training and experience have benefitted the department, but added that Wilkinson's moving on to new adventures is also exciting.

Wilkinson has a lot of wisdom and good advice which is going to be missed, Matosich said.

Matosich, who was hired on in 1997, said that at one point Wilkinson was his sergeant. Matosich said they had worked many patrols together and have a lot of stories.

"We were always busy," he said.

He said he had learned a number of things from Wilkinson during the 22 years they served together. Matosich said any new officer looks to the other officers they work with to see what a good officer is, and takes the qualities they admire from that officer and tries to apply it in how they perform their duties.

He said that was what he did while working with Wilkinson. Matosich added that Wilkinson was always extremely good with talking with people and having good leadership skills, while always maintaining a dedication to the community and upholding the department's vision and code of ethics.

Wilkinson said that it is hard to decide now what he is planning to do with his retirement. He said once someone decides on retiring they decide on a date, but when that day comes it is just another day. He added that the reality of retiring didn't really set in for him until he turned in his badge and gun.

He said he enjoyed his time working in the police department, and his favorite part of being a police officer was working with people. He added that the department has a close comradery which is similar to the comradery he found in the Marines. As an officer, he enjoyed every aspect of the job and, now looking back on the experience, cannot fully explain the importance of this experience. 

"You're making a difference," he said.

He said he learned a number of good lessons from his time in service. He said that he learned a lot from his superior officers as well as the younger officers he worked with throughout the years.

"Things are not always what they seem, people aren't always what they appear to be and the situations are not always as bad as they seem," Wilkinson said.

He added that the best lesson he can pass down to the next generation of officers and anyone who is interested in law enforcement is that they should treat everyone with a level of respect.

"My advice to them, or my suggestion to them, is that in the end, in this job, all you have is your integrity, to respect what you do and those around you and the people you deal with," Wilkinson said. "Everybody deserves a certain amount of respect."

The hardest part of the job, he said, is seeing people make the wrong decisions.

"You know something is wrong, you can see someone heading down the wrong path, but there is nothing you can do for them," he said.

Law enforcement has changed over the years, he said. Places have changed and the environment of Havre has changed. The drug issues have gotten worse and have heavily affected families. He said the world has also become more difficult for law enforcement, but there's always room for people treating one another with kindness and respect.

Wilkinson said, he has seen to the extent of harm people can do to one another, but he has also seen what goodness and kindness people can do for one another, as well.

Wilkinson said he doesn't know what he will do with his retirement. He said he has been on the force for so long it is hard to switch gears, but he has a lot of things he wants to do.

He added that he also may want to travel back to Fort Berthold, where he has a number of his extended family still living, but he has no concrete plans at this time. The future is wide open, he said.