Vienna City Council says farewell to police retirees
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VIENNA -- Vienna City Council honored two retirees from the Vienna Police Department during its regular session Thursday evening.
Former police chief Mike Pifer retired from the department Tuesday after 26 years of service. Pifer said it was an honor to serve the citizens of Vienna.
Mayor Randy Rapp said he and Teresa Smith found footage of Pifer being sworn in by then mayor David Nohe. They couldn't believe how young he looked.
City Attorney Russ Skogstad said police officers fall into two categories: those who view it as a job and those who view it as a calling. Skogstad said Pifer fell into the latter category.
"You don't have any issue when there's a problem with him coming out, working late, doing extra details and extra shifts. Without question, Mike Pifer was one of those officers," he said.
Rapp then invited patrolman Carl Powell to the podium, who is Rapp's appointee for police chief. Rapp said Powell served in the Air Force prior to Vienna Police Department. He was stationed in Germany and at Andrews Air Force Base.
The council approved Powell's appointment as police chief unanimously.
Powell said he was ready for the challenge and anticipates no major changes in the department.
"But we can all admit that police officers aren't perfect. And the police departments are not perfect. So there's always room for improvement," he said.
The next item on the agenda included retiring police K9 Ronin and transferring ownership to officer Paul Polsley as a domestic pet. Powell said Ronin had been with the department for eight years and been out in 400 deployments. His main job was to assist in tracking and drug arrests.
The council approved Ronin's retirement unanimously.
Kristen Hainkel can be reached at khainkel@gmail.com