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Reserve Police Officer Retires After 23 Years

Posted on: Thursday, 16 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By Sophia Kazmi, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Mar. 16--After 23 years as a reserve police officer, Stephen Berger has a hard time coming up with one single memorable experience from his time on patrol.

"It's all been good," Berger said. "Not just one thing, everything."

But at a retirement lunch for Berger on Wednesday, Pleasanton Police Chief Tim Neal had no trouble. Neal recalled arriving very early at a bombing scene at the Shaklee Corporation in September 2003 and finding Berger already on the scene controlling access to the command post.

"It had to be about 4:30 a.m., and there is Steve out on Owens Drive, in uniform, and I don't think he had time to run a comb through his hair," Neal said.

As an unpaid volunteer reserve officer, Berger has served in many ways -- from dropping off suspects at jail to assisting in homicide cases. But he gave up his badge Wednesday at the age of 70, making him the oldest officer to retire from Pleasanton's department and, Neal said, perhaps one of the oldest retiring patrol officers ever.

Reserve officers wear the same Pleasanton police uniform and patrol the streets just as paid officers do. Berger joined the department in September 1982 as a reserve officer. He climbed the ranks, becoming a reserve sergeant and, ultimately, a reserve captain overseeing the reserve program. He doesn't regret ever joining.

"It kept evolving," said Berger, who owns and operates an aircraft leasing corporation. "It's probably the best thing I ever did."

Fellow officers, reserve and full-time, turned out for Berger's farewell lunch, where he was teased and praised for sticking around the department for so long and for his dedication to the department, especially because he worked for free.

"But to Steve, (his service) did yield a profit -- albeit defined differently. It provided a camaraderie, an ability in a very special way to give back to his community," Neal said.

Berger served his community in situations such as when he gave up a planned vacation with his wife to testify in federal court. The suspect was found guilty and received some 80 years in federal prison for firearm offenses. "It was a lot of guns," Berger recalled.

Berger has lived in Pleasanton since 1968 with his wife, Joyce. They raised their two children in the city. After turning 70 earlier this year, Berger said he realized he wanted to dedicate more time to his family and to spend more time with his 5-year-old grandson.

Berger seemed touched by Wednesday's gathering.

"Be safe. Be well," he told his fellow officers as he accepted the plaque for his service. "God bless you all."

Reach Sophia Kazmi at 925-847-2122 or skazmi@cctimes.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

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