By Police1 Staff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The longest-serving Columbus police officer is retiring this week.
Lt. Karl Barth, 77, has spent the last 56 years with the Columbus Police Department, NBC 4 reported.
“I joined the police department in 1961 in September as an officer,” he said. “I got promoted in 1970 to sergeant and then in 1978 to a Lieutenant. [I was in] Class number 29 and the class currently in the academy is class 129.”
Barth followed in his father Sgt. Carl Barth’s footsteps. His brother was also a police officer. Barth has met all the presidents beginning with John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump.
He told the news station he honestly thought he would retire sooner. Columbus police said Barth’s presence will be missed.
“Yeah when I was young I was going to retire at 25 years but it never happened and I just kept going and going,” he said. “I’m going to miss the officers, miss all the public that we deal with and we deal with a lot of public in our office. It’s been very enjoyable…I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Barth, who will turn 78 on Nov. 1 is planning a “few trips around the country, maybe a Caribbean cruise” for retirement.