By Police1 Staff
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — A Texas sheriff is retiring from duty after 45 years in law enforcement.
Sheriff Terry Box, 64, started as dispatch in 1968. In 1971, he was the 9th officer to be hired in Plano, Texas, WFAA reported.
When Box moved to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, where he has remained ever since, the agency had a total of 40 employees. Today, he manages 500 employees.
Box has spent 35 years with the sheriff’s office, longer than any of his 37 predecessors, according to the Dallas Morning News. He will retire with over 45 years of law enforcement experience under his belt.
Box said his biggest accomplishment has been dealing with growth and his run as president of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.
“I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of long-term employees who have made the operation what it is today,” Box told Dallas Morning News. “I’ve made so many friends over the years, and I’ve found a lot of satisfaction in being able to help people.”
As for his after-retirement plans? He told WFAA he’s going to take some well-deserved time off.
“Everybody says, ‘What are you gonna do when you retire?’ I always say it’s not what I’m gonna do, it’s what I’m not gonna do.”