Hailey police chief retires
By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer
After 39 years of police work, Hailey’s
Police Chief Jack Stoneback will leave the force Jan. 26.
His first stop after retirement will be Las
Vegas to see his daughter.
Stoneback said he impulsively moved to the
valley in 1978 after he and his wife visited his parents, who had moved to
Bellevue in 1976.
He said that after they had been here two
days, he and his wife put money down on a home in Bellevue.
He said he wanted to move away from big
cities to where there were good folks, no violence, and no crime. He
wanted a good place to raise his kids.
When he got back to Irvine, where he was a
police officer, Stoneback gave his two-week notice. Within two weeks he
was walking out the door on his way to the Wood River Valley, without a
job waiting for him—or so he thought.
Stoneback said the moving van was already
down the road and he had one foot out the door, when he received a phone
call. It was the Sun Valley Police Department with a job offer. He had
applied when visiting his parents.
Stoneback worked for the Sun Valley
department until 1990, when he joined the Hailey Police Department as
chief.
He said the high point of his professional
life was in helping people.
"This is what makes police work
worthwhile," he said--getting to know people, helping people, saving
lives, and making life better for people.
The low points in his professional life
were the times he responded to calls when children had been killed or
injured.
"Officers are trained to deal with
death and injury," he said, but pointed out that such training doesn’t
help much when a child has died.
Reflecting on his accomplishments, he said,
"This department has come a long way with greater professionalism and
education.
"I believe this department is the best
in the valley with really good people dedicated to law enforcement."
He didn’t say who he would recommend to
Mayor Brad Siemer to take his place, but he did say that "a lot can
be said for promoting people from within the organization."
Stoneback will be honored at a retirement
reception on Jan. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hailey Town Center
Meeting Room. The public is invited.