Anaheim Deputy Police Chief Craig Hunter posted this on his Facebook page this morning:
Today is my final day at APD… 34 years of great times.
In leaving, I think about the cops on the street who do a tough and constantly challenging job…. Some have been in patrol for most of their careers…. In the heat and the cold and the rain. In the foot chases and fights, in sometimes gross unmentionable conditions. Cops who are not here merely to make a living. They are here to help the community live in a more sane world. In the end, they enrich the lives of many, sometimes never knowing how much.
Policing is a career of surprises and changes, unplanned pit stops and unfathomable road blocks. It’s crazy how some people will smile in your face, lie to you, or try to use you …then get mad when you get wise and stop letting them. Forget about the people who want to second guess a lot of what we do. I think one of the most frustrating but also challenging parts of my job has been to see how far we have come as a profession in my 34+ years, but yet how we continue to adjust to new demands for accountability, transparency and service delivery. I’m very proud of where we are here in Anaheim.
I got to know Craig back in 2008 when he sought appointment as Orange County Sheriff following Mike Carona’s arrest and resignation, and was impressed by him. We came to be friends, and I supported his 2010 candidacy for Sheriff. He always made himself available for questions or picking about law enforcement. And I just realized this is starting to read like a eulogy.
Good luck to Craig – I’m sure the future hold many possibilities!
