Chief Michael Soelberg
Chief Michael Soelberg was appointed as the Gilbert Police Department Chief of Police in June 2017. Chief Soelberg began his law enforcement career with the Mesa Police Department in 1995. With the Town of Gilbert, Chief Soelberg has placed an emphasis on keeping up the Department’s growth with the growth of the community, which is now over 282,000 residents.
Chief Soelberg graduated from Weber State University (Ogden, UT) earning a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Education degree from Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). In 2009, Chief Soelberg completed a six-month research Fellowship with the Police Foundation, in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session #258, in Quantico, VA; and Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) Police Executive Leadership Institute (PELI), Class #4. He currently serves on the AZCEND Board of Directors and previously was on the United Food Bank Board of Directors for six years. He is currently on the Executive Board of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.
Episode Transcription
Guiding Growth. Conversations with Community Leaders. In this podcast, we'll explore the human journey of leaders. There are stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks and lessons learned, come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know. This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, providing resources, connections and belonging for business professionals and modern moments, an event and meeting venue in the heart of Gilbert. This is an exciting day. It doesn't happen every day. I know it does not. We are very fortunate.
Today, we have a special guest who is a true treasure in our community. He grew up in Utah, strong willed and independent with aspirations to work for the FBI. He met his wife while in high school and they attended college together. After graduation, they made an agreement to accept the first job offer that was given, which happened to be from the Mesa Arizona Police Department. As history is written. He served in Mesa for 22 years before becoming Gilbert's Chief of Police in 2017. He is a wonderful community leader and a very proud husband and father of two.
Please Welcome, Chief Sober. Welcome to the show. Thank you. Glad to be here. We're glad to have you. So we like to start this off with what we call rapid fire. So Sarah, you go first Star Wars or Star Trek Star Wars. What's your favorite color? Blue? Ok. Winter or summer, winter. What did your mother call you as a kid? Keep it clean. I was gonna say uh usually it was Michael La Grande because I was always in trouble and that was my full name. Ok. Uh Christmas, you had to say Christmas that gets her going every time.
What is the last book you read one of Patrick laconi books? But I can't remember the title of it. That's enough. Close enough. Would you ever go on vacation by yourself? I guess I would if I had to, but I'm sure I could find somebody to go with. Fair enough. There you go. Ok. Camping or glamping. I love camping. My wife hates it. She likes clamping. So it's been a long time since I went camping because I know how that works. All right along the lines of our recent conversation.
If you had intro music, what song would it be? You have to sing it. So watch out. You just mentioned a CDC and so I'd have to go with a CDC. Uh Hells Bells, I guess. There you go. It's a great intro. I love that. Alright. Last question. Glass Half full or half empty, half full. Again, I think there's a correlation here going on. Lots of half fulls. This podcast is brought to you by Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Recognized as one of the top 100 best hospitals by health grades.
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is a full service acute care not for profit community hospital, providing exceptional health care to the East Valley with a staff of 1300 employees and 103 volunteers. patients can expect the expertise of more than 900 physicians representing all major specialties. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is proud to be part of the local community and an award winning employer, learn more at dignity health dot org forward slash Arizona. So let's dive into it. Yes. Ok. So let's go back to this uh strong willed and independent kid growing up in Utah.
Yeah, I was stubborn. Um You know, when I, I was what, four out of five kids. And uh so when you're down in the picking order, you tend to get forgotten sometimes and fend for yourself. And uh you know, I I was thinking about it the first time I probably just did my own thing and I didn't care. I was in about fifth grade, 5th, 6th grade and I got in, this is going to sound bad, but I got into an argument with my teacher over a grade and I was upset and so I just left, I put my chair on the table packed packed up and I went home and then the school was calling, hey, Mike disappeared and I just give it some time.
He'll be home. I walked home. My mom was like, what are you doing? I'm like, why? Well, the school called, I'm like, and I'm like, I just knew and, uh, so they dragged me back and I felt, I feel bad now, I didn't feel bad then. But the teacher, it was her, it was her first year of teaching and she was just crush. She was crying. I, what did I do? I'm so sorry. And, and, you know, I'm just pouting. I'm like, you, you pissed me off and she was wrong.
Yeah, exactly. And, uh, and then that just kind of continued, you know, um, as I grew up, um, I didn't always go with the norm in Utah. Um, both, uh, politics, religion schools, uh, favorite sports teams. And so I kind of was, uh, independent and did what I wanted to do. And you found, did you find some sense of satisfaction by pushing those boundaries? You know, it was, I didn't want to do what everyone expected of you or wanted you to do. I felt that you should be able to make your own decisions, do what you want to do and chart your own path and, uh, you know, everyone's got your best interest in mind but sometimes you want to try new things you want to do different things you want to do something different.
You don't want to always stick with the routine of what everyone does all the time. And, and so I just wanted to be more adventurous and try different things and sometimes that got me in trouble and, uh, and, uh, I'll go into the store if you want to, of course. Um, so I drove before I had a license and, uh, and which wasn't uncommon back then. And so I would always just, I would drive the car back and forth in the driveway. I'd sometimes drive it around the neighborhood and then when the parents weren't home, I would drive it all over town.
And, uh, so me and I picked up a couple of buddies and we were driving and we were just driving. There's nothing else to do at the time. It was like a, uh, a Horizon, a Plymouth Horizon, like a little hatchback thing and a stick shift. Of course not. No, no, I, I do have a good band story though. But, um, so I'm driving and, uh, there's this little hill and I had driven a stick, but I wasn't great at it, but they just enough of a hill and, uh, stopped a real light and I go to go and I just pop the clutch and so I do that like two or three times the light cycles through and then get ready to go.
And I'm, oh, all right. I got it, I got it and, uh, a police car pulls up on the other side of the intersection and I'm like, ok, I can't screw this up and, uh, I get the light and I started going and I do the same thing I like, pop the crunch and I finally get in like, and I get going, I'm like, ok, I got it and then I see the lights turn on. Oh, man, here it comes. And uh, and so my buddies were, we're looking at each other and, and I'm, I think I'm 14, 15 at the time.
Yeah, I think I was 14. And uh I'm like, all right, I'm my brother did everyone go with this story and, and when he comes up and he comes up and hey, what, what's wrong? I'm like, oh, I just struggling with the shift. I'm just, you know, not used to driving with the stick shift and he goes, do you have your license? I said, no, I don't have it with me. He goes, what's your name? And I just give him the truth. I, I couldn't lie. And he's like, ok.
And uh, so he ended up, he's like, all right, what are you doing? I said we just took the car for a ride. My mom's not home and my dad's out of town and, and so that was the, the bad thing was he's like, all right, I'll just call your parents. They'll come get you, I'm gonna give you a ticket for driving without a license. But I'll, uh, just have your parents come and get the car and take you home little bit. I mean, this is before cell phones, of course.
And so I can't get a hold of her, uh, can't get hold of, anybody, can't get hold of the neighbors. My buddies, friends or parents are out of town as well. And so he's like, I gotta tow it and it's like, oh, man, so they towed the vehicle and now the good thing was it was my neighbor that owns a tow company. He ended up towing it. And so, uh, when my mom got home, I, you know, did that walk of shame and walk outside and like, hey, guess what, like I'm like, uh, the car's gone if you didn't notice, but I know where it's at, it's in the tow yard because I got stopped and got a ticket and it got towed.
She's like, oh, what the heck are you doing? So thankfully, I'm sure she had better words than that for you. Yeah, that's, you said keep it clean. Yeah. Right. So, so, yeah, I had to pay the ticket, pay, pay for the tow. They didn't charge me the, the, uh, storage fee. That was nice since it was my neighbor, but had to go to court and pay, pay the fine. And so that was my penance and, but then I got my license two years later and I was fine.
And this was your Freud to the enforcement world. I was just, you know, testing things to see what it's just like on the other side. So, if you were the fourth and I just can't imagine what your younger sibling was like. Well, see, that's the thing when you're the last, there's a lot of attention. The first and the last, it's the meal that gets lost. So she, she, yeah, she was spoiled. She was the baby. Well, I, I know you've always had drive for leadership and success as well.
Uh doing your own thing. Um I was interested in reading that you put yourself through college and in your law enforcement career, obviously, you've sought out opportunities to grow, learn and serve, you shared with us and then maybe I'm skipping ahead just a little bit too much. But, um, well, I, I'm skipping ahead. So we're gonna edit that out. We're gonna edit that out. Ok. So let's talk about your goal to become an FBI agent. So this is interesting. Where did this inspiration come from? Or your interest in it come from?
Had to be a movie, right? Well, kind of growing up. I loved, I loved war movies. I loved uh legal movies and, you know, uh mysteries and whatnot and I thought about the military. But then I was like, I knew how, you know, they do great service, but the pay is not good. And so my first thought was, um, to be a lawyer and I, I loved, like L A law in the eighties and these, you know, Perry Mason and all these old legal shows. But then when I started college I, I had to pick a major and so I didn't know what to pick.
So I did a business major and, uh, but I never actually took any business classes. That was the first year. And so I was thinking about law, but then I was like, there's so many lawyers and there's so many things you can do. I don't know if I really want to be a lawyer. And so I had taken one or two criminal justice classes just as my basic classes and I loved it and I thought it was fun and, but I didn't really want to be a police officer and I thought, you know, FBI would be really cool and I had some friends from school that his dad was an FBI agent there in Utah.
And so I talked to him and talked to him, to him about the process. And so that was my goal was to do, um FBI, but at the time, um, the FBI just wasn't hiring back in 94 95. And so they said, you know, just wait, we will. But the best thing for you to do is just get some experience. And so I thought about doing law enforcement, but I was still looking at something federal but the Feds just weren't hiring. So I, I actually tested with the US Marshals, uh, which a year and a half later they actually, uh, brought me back for some more testing and that time I was at Mesa, but as I said, as I was finished in college, um, knew I went, decided to be a police officer.
That was my interest and, um, I was working for Delta Airlines at the time through college and so I could fly pretty much for free. It was just a small fee. So we had picked out, um, we decided, let's live in Colorado, let's live in, uh, either Oregon, Washington or Arizona. We really didn't care where we just wanted to be some way, you know, venture out. And, uh, but Colorado is kind of where we really wanted to go because the mountains and the skiing and the fishing and the hunting ventures were there very similarly to Utah.
Um, but away from home. And, uh, so I had tested a couple of places in Colorado, uh, tested it a couple of places in Arizona and up in Washington. And, uh, like you said, the first place to offer me the job, that's where we were gonna go. And, uh, uh, Mesa, uh, gave me the offer, uh, just after Thanksgiving, uh, in 94. And so we accepted the job, moved down here in January and it was about a month later around February of 233 when, uh, Colorado Springs called and that's where we really had wanted to go.
And, you know, we thought about it and we're like, we just moved, we have to move again and we're like, no, we dedicated to this. We'll stay here and, uh, and it's the winter in, uh, Arizona and that's a beautiful time. It's nice. I don't, I don't mind the snow but I was never a cop in the snow and that's a lot different with the rain and, and, and snow coming down as opposed to heat. You can always cool off. So I stayed with Mesa and, uh, did a career there.
Enjoyed it, but I lived there in Mesa just for the 1st 11 months and I kept running into people that good and bad and sometimes I couldn't remember if I arrested them or if it was a witness or a victim or just somebody I passed. And so I decided let's move away from where I'm working. And so we moved to Gilbert and so we moved in, uh, around December of 95 down. Just ironically the police station wasn't there at the time, but we moved just a couple of blocks away from where the police station is now, the main headquarters.
And we lived there for about three years. And then, uh, it was probably like your house and all the fields. That was it. That was the draw. We were on the edge of town other than farms, we were at Lindsay and Ray and I could see the golf course, you know, western skies and there was nothing to the south. And after about three years, we were surrounded. And so we said, let's get back out into the country. And so we moved to record and Ray and, you know, crop dusters, they would come and do all the, the uh fields behind us and we were right on the edge and within a few years, we were surrounded again.
And so we stayed there until 228 and now we're back on the west side of Gilbert. But what a pivotal moment to not pursue the Colorado Springs. Yeah. And it was one of those things that it's drew me in. Um, and to where five years later, I was sick of the heat and I was at working patrol and I'm just, I'm just tired of the heat. And so I, I actually put in to go to Colorado Springs again and I got the job offer again. And then what, what did it for me though was, I would have started over and I would have had to do 229 years before I was retirement eligible.
And I was already five years to a 22012 year retirement here in Arizona. So we, we decided do 22014 more years if we still want to go to Colorado, we will. And uh so I turned down Colorado Springs for the second time, so I never applied again because I don't think they take my applications. Um, but that was a big thing for us and especially that was right before we had our kids to our first kid. And so if we had, you know, you think about those decisions and how it affects, not only you but your kids in the future and, uh, they would have had a different life and different friends.
And it's just those big life changes or decisions, whether to stay or go or take the job or don't take the job. Those are decisions. Hopefully you don't regret. Um, and if you do regret it, hopefully you learn from it, but I loved it. And, uh, you know, I, I learned that there's things to do other than work outside all the time. So it started put in for a detective and became a detective and did that for five years and loved it and then decided, uh, to promote to a sergeant.
And, uh, that's the nice thing about being a police officer is that you can go in so many different directions. So when I was a sergeant, I went back to patrol and did that for another three years. Loved it. Um, and then, uh I got that call from internal affairs, not in a bad way. I wasn't under investigation, but they wanted me to come up and be uh assigned to invest in internal affairs and I actually told them no. And they allowed me to the first time, then three months later, they called me back again and said, ok, we're not asking you, we're telling you you're coming at I A and then so, uh, I went to IE A and did about a year and a half there and then, uh, promoted to lieutenant from there.
And so, and then on down the road, I did 210 years as a lieutenant and got a lot of experience. And that's as a lieutenant was my first time when I'd always worked, you know, just around police officers. And then as a lieutenant, I supervised our dispatch for 210 months. And so it's entirely, I was the only sworn person there and then all dispatchers and really gained an appreciation for what they do and the sacrifices that they do. And, um, you know, someone calls frantic there, it's an emergency.
They take, they do that initial triage, get fire rolling, get the police rolling and then transfer the door to the dispatcher and then they're taking that next call. There's really not that closure. It's, it's just stress all the time of dealing with people calling in. So gained a great respect for what they do, which helped me down down the road as I promoted up and, and making sure we took care of everybody, not just police officers. And, uh, so, and then on down the road, you know, promoted to commander and then assistant chief and fast forwarding the opportunity came here in Gilbert.
And, uh, I, you know, never thought about being the chief. I, my goal was always to retire as a lieutenant back in 203 and do my 220 go live in the mountains but kids and, and opportunity changes that it's one of those things like, you know, you're just not ready and that's one thing that a lot of police officers and even firefighters that they have that 25 year retirement and they're looking for that retirement. But most of us were in our early forties or late forties when we hit that 26.
And hopefully you still got a long life ahead of you. And so you gotta be prepared to either continue on or have that second or third career set and ready. So that, uh, when you do retire that you've got something to do. So, one of the things I appreciate about your journey is your partnership with your wife along the way. And I'm just curious if you, I mean, did you start dating in high school? Ok. So, yeah. Um, I was 16, uh, when we started dating and she, she's an older woman.
She's 17. She love me saying that. Um, but yeah, she was a year older than me, uh, and we started dating in high school and we, uh, continued on to college and, uh, same, same, same college. Uh, we were State in, uh, Ogden Utah and we completed our degrees. And, um, so we, we were together for five years before we got married and that was one thing that, you know, we thought about getting married earlier and we, we just wanted to get done with school and it was probably the best decision because that three months that we were married and still in college was stressful, paying bills, living together the marriage and trying to finish school.
Um, it was good that we waited. We, we might have been successful that we had all that on our plate. But, um, it, it, as you mentioned, it, it's been a journey together. And, uh, and that's one thing that in a stressful career of law enforcement. Um, there's a lot, obviously, a lot of divorces. Um And so I think a lot of that comes from people not knowing what they're getting into or you marry into it and that was something a little bit different. She knew that that's what I was going to do from, you know, through college on before we got married.
She knew that that's what I wanted to do and she was, was supportive. And, uh, so she's, she's learned to, uh help guide me through stuff and she, she can recognize when I'm stressed and, and gives me someone to talk to and she's experienced the highs and lows throughout my career. So, really being my partner throughout all of it. I'm going to rewind for a second. I was, I would have bet money that you would have said Magnum P I driving the Ferrari doing that kind of thing.
But no, you didn't use that one. I was gonna say Miami Vice. I love Miami Vice. That was a good one too. And then my mom loved Magnum P I, it was good too. But that was my mom. So when you were thinking about this career, that's why I'm rewinding for a second. Who comes to mind is that influence into this world that you're going to because it wasn't just that time with the pull over that you had, it was something else. Right. Yeah. No, I mean, a lot of it was honestly, it was TV, I mean, Andy Griffith, you know, and uh watching cop shows, Miami Vice and, you know, that was one thing I would be doing swat and the undercover, uh, stuff that, that's what attracted me of that, that thrill of the chase and that, uh getting, and the rewarding part of getting bad people off, off the streets.
But really that, that excitement that comes with it. It's bad when you say it. But um law enforcement, it comes with ties and lows and when you don't want anyone to get hurt, you don't want the robberies and the homicides. But when stuff like that happens, you want to be there, you wanna be the one that's stopping them or catching them and, and it really was media that attracted me to it and then going through college just learning about it. And like I said, I had an interest in, in law but I didn't want to be an attorney.
And so it was, to me it was a, it was a nice fit between the two. But then I had, you know, a good friend of mine, his dad was a cop with Salt Lake City PD. And, uh, so a lot of stories from him and hearing about the excitement and what he loved doing. And, uh, and it was a great career and it was one of those things where you could do 20 to 25 years depending on where you were at. And then still, if you wanted to retire, you go do something else.
So that was attractive as well. So how close were the shows to the reality, you know, out of all the shows, um, that I've seen, I would say The Wire. Now, The Wire is not nothing like Arizona but for a big city and law enforcement, um, minus some of the corruption which I hopefully doesn't happen. Um, but the, the street life and of a cop and from a, uh, uh, undercover detective or officer, to me, it was extremely accurate and, uh, now I didn't do that role but I've seen it and, uh, so Dwyre to me, at least season one it got a little crazy in the later seasons.
But that first season was, it was really accurate. And Hill Street Blues, I watched a little bit, but that's probably pretty close, but I just, I, I didn't watch it that much when I was growing up. What do you think has changed in, um, in police work over the course of your career? I, I would say the biggest thing, um, you know, 2014 with uh uh in Missouri, I, sorry, I'm getting my, my stories mixed up but in 2014, in Ferguson, um that's when we saw the, the first and even I let me take that back in 53 or 93.
I think it was 92 with uh Rodney King and the L A riots. You know, we started to see a lot of uh focus on law enforcement and how they interact with the community. Um But from that point on, I was in college when the L A riots happened. And so I saw it and I was studying criminal justice and paying attention to what was going on. Um But throughout my career, it all, it all seemed to be good that we had a good relationship in Mason and all the East Valley agencies.
And I think it is different in Arizona than it is in, even in California or the East coast, I'd say west west coast policing is much different than the east coast or down south. And uh so it is a different environment. We, we experience a lot of support from the community and um we have very professional police departments where if, if you screw up, you're not gonna have a job where, you know, there's different reasons and regulations where a bad cop might, you might have to keep him in other places.
But in Arizona, very strict and very by the book. And um so as we've progressed over the last 25 years, and I'm come to what, just over 28 coming up on 29 years, I think the biggest thing is the focus on law enforcement. Everyone always, for the most part, everyone always supported law enforcement. And then after all the, the tragic deaths over the last four or five years involving police that is raised scrutiny of law enforcement. And you know, it's one of the things you, you have to always reflect and what can we do better and even when those things didn't happen in Arizona, we took that as a learning lesson and what, how can we improve to make sure that that doesn't happen.
Looking at our policies, looking at our training to make sure that we don't make those mistakes. But that's probably the biggest change is the public perception still very supportive. But also with the advent of everyone having a, a camera and we've had cameras in May. So we started in 2012 and I think Gilbert, it was 2014 when they started with the cameras. And so almost 10 years now it's different because I tell people imagine going to work and you have to record everything you do and you got 10 people following you recording everything you do.
And so it's just different uh environment, very supportive though. And that, that's what I love about Gilbert. And the Holi Valley is, the community really supports us and that's really the key to success for us with such a low crime rate is our people. We have a good community. We have a very supportive community and we have a community that looks out for each other. So if they see a problem, if they see a crime, they're gonna call us, we're in other places, they might not. So you already mentioned, your wife is probably your biggest supporter and com comrade in this journey you're on.
But as the role you have right now, who, who do you lean into now? Like uh as a peer? Do you have a network of other folks that are in the same roles or is that how that works? Yeah. As you go up to the top, you, you uh your circle gets a little bit closer, just, just the nature of the beast, the way it is. But yeah, all of us, we have several groups uh East Valley Chief, we meet uh monthly um and then we meet as uh for lunch.
Usually, it's about every couple of months we will meet and we just talk about what's going on, what uh internally a little bit gives us an opportunity to vent to each other in a private setting. Uh But also to talk about plans and projects and how we can help each other. And it really is a collaborative uh process for us in the East Valley and in the entire state. And, and I'm on the uh Arizona Association of Chief of Police, uh the Executive board. And so we meet uh constantly for that as well.
So all the chiefs in the, in the state meet uh quite often, we usually at least once a quarter and we have uh annual conferences in the summer and the fall, but we communicate quite a bit. So you really do build up that uh network, but you also have to have a network outside. And so uh other town employees and, and, and friends and I still great friends with uh those I grew up with in high school and, and we get together uh usually once or twice a year and we just, you gotta have that outlet to where you can get away from it.
Now, what about other disciplines? Like you got the Chief of Fire and other, you, you gotta like kind of support. I know Dugan, he actually said, I think he even said something like, you know, your department's more like watching the Police academy running around town. Something silly like that. No, he didn't say that. Ok. But, you know, I assume you guys have, you know, comrade there. Yeah. No, we a great relationship, um, with PDN Fire we work, um, side by side in, in every building, uh, where they're at we are at and obviously we go to calls together all the time.
And so, uh, all of our, the department directors in, in Gilbert, uh, get along great. We meet constantly and, uh, he and I, uh, besides just all the other meetings, we, he and I meet once a month as well, just to go over things we're working on and you, you've just gotta have that partnership and, and making sure that um, we're communicating and, and our people are communicating and, uh, we had the luxury of having a room in every uh firehouse and so our officers can go and take a break, write paper, um, make phone calls, take a, uh, relax and even, you know, see them.
So it does. And that was something that was nice. You know, when, when I was a patrol officer in Mesa, usually you stayed in the same area. And so I had my beat and I knew, uh, the firefighters that were there and I'd stop by and we'd do dinner. And so you kind of grow up together and you know, each other throughout your careers. And so that happens all the time. So I appreciate your official role in our community and what you do to lead. But I also appreciate that you have such an amazing heart for your family.
And so I'm curious when you look to your family, what's the legacy that you hope to leave for them? What do you hope that they think of you and the work that you've done, um that I cared, I mean, hard work. They, they see, they see me work and what I hope they also learn is not to work as much as I do because I, I will, I get to work at eight and I usually get home around six or seven and then I'll eat dinner and then I'll go back to work in the office at home until about midnight.
And so I have to remind myself sometimes to step away. Um So I, I hope they learn what it takes to be successful and to be responsible and to be motivated and that uh really it's up to you. You can you control your destiny. And so don't expect people to hand it to you. I'm not gonna hand it to you. I'll provide a roof and, and food and shelter for you. But at some point, my 23 year old is gonna have to move out. Um, he graduated from college two years ago and then my daughter's graduating from high school and going to go up to NAU uh this fall.
And so it's kind of ironic. We were joking that our daughter will be out of the house before he was. And, uh, but they're doing good but it's, you know, you, you want to do the, the best for them and, and provide for them and, uh, they've, they've got to spread their wings and five. It's a different world too. So, I like highs and lows. What's the best part of what you do? And what's the, maybe the thing, that's the hardest thing you have to do. Um, well, I'm gonna stay out of politics.
On the low side, the politics can kind of muddy some stuff sometimes. But on the, on the high side, you know, um, everything from, I don't get the luxury of being out on the streets and seeing the success with the, with the people, but seeing, uh, our officers respond and whether it's saving somebody's life or just taking care of somebody, you know, I, I get that satisfaction through their work and, you know, being the chief I get, uh, I'm in meetings all day and that's almost entirely all I do is meetings.
Um, but to see the success that they do and, and the outreach, uh, from the community and the love that they give, uh, both PD and fire that they, they, they feel it's safe and, and that's what we get from our community. People want to live in Gilbert because it's, it has that small town feel. But yet we're a quarter million plus people and it's a great community. And so I, I, that's where I drive my pleasure because I, I've retired from, I'm already getting my pension.
And, uh, it's one of those things, if I didn't have to, if I didn't want to be her, I, I wouldn't. And so I still love what I do and I love the community and, uh, just get pleasure from seeing this, this success and the growth. And that was one thing that I really, in the six years that I've been here is building up our staff to be that appropriate level to respond where needed and have the facilities that they need to do things, right. Yeah, you got some great facilities. Beautiful. Yeah.
And to brag on that, I mean, obviously your work with the addition of both sworn officers and professional staff, completion of the public safety training facility, um expanding some current services that you offer. What does the next decade look like? Uh completing that growth? Um You know, I've, I've got a lot of things that are under construction now and plans for the future. So, facility wise, we're, we're working on designing our advocacy center which will be something new. Uh to Gilbert, we currently use Mesa and Chandler uh their facility.
So this will be a new uh advocacy center to focus on our victims of domestic violence uh abuse, uh sexual assault and uh trying to make a victim centered uh taking care of their needs, trying to minimize that trauma and provide for the services, post investigation, making sure that they are taken care of. And so we're currently designing that. Um And in addition to that, we are remodeling our EOC our emergency operation center. We're expanding the size of our dispatch center. Uh remodeling a lot of our admin areas where our cos our current counseling area is our hiring and our um internal affairs area.
We've grown so much that we're outgrowing everything that was built 20 years ago. And so that's the next phase is, um, we're doing a space needs assessment throughout the entire town now to evaluate everybody's needs. But we know that we need to expand the main station and then we need to either expand or redo uh the station down south. And so making sure, and that's gonna take anywhere from 5 to 6 years to get done is uh hopefully, uh the economy stays good and we can keep rolling. Uh because, and then I, I forgot to mention crime Lab.
That's the other thing that we haven't committed to yet, but we've done the study to, to show that we need a crime lab and that'll be uh really at build out. Uh Once we should stop growing somewhat, we'll have new remodeled or new police stations. We'll have our crime lab, we'll have our advocacy center. We've got our beautiful training facility already and then it just goes into that maintenance mode of making sure that we're staying safe. We're staying, uh, top of line for both our hires and for our training to make sure we can maintain this into the future. Yeah.
So when you think of that strong willed kid, is this the dream first or something bigger? No, this is, this, is it, this, this, like I said, I didn't really know what I wanted to do and that's what I told my daughter. She's like, I don't know what I want to do in college. Maybe you'll figure it out. Just go with what you want to do and where your passion lies, don't rely on other people to tell you what you want to do. And as I mentioned, I wanted to be a lieutenant chief wasn't my goal.
It's just one of those things you see those opportunities and you advance and you, you master one trade and then you look at that next level and you're like, yeah, I can do that. And so, um, I, I, my plan is to stay here for a while. I'm not leaving any time soon. So, uh, this will be my, my career goal and yes, it is. And I, I made it clear that I am staying as long as they want me to, I'm happy doing what I'm doing.
And I joked that my, my dream job when I retire, I want to work at a golf course in the summer. So I can go for free and a ski resort in the winter so I can ski for free. Ok. So I might be living in a couple of different locations to make that happen. But that, that will be my retirement job will be work and play. That's too bad. I was thinking it was volunteering at the chamber of commerce, but that wasn't in the, when I'm not golfing and skiing.
I'm sure I could stop by. Ok, great. They need a lot of help there. Awesome. Well, this has been a great conversation. Thank you for spending time with us and for sharing your journey and a lot of the memories you've had along the way. That's been a lot of fun to learn from. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Yeah, we've only scratched the surface. So I think we're gonna have to bring you back. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. So if you enjoyed this show, which I know you did subscribe to our tribes so you can get these in your inbox and hear some more.
Thanks for being here, guiding growth, conversations with community leaders. Ben, let me ask you a question. How do you see other community members being involved in this podcast? This is going to be a great opportunity for so many people in the community to have a chance to be heard if they want to tell their story or if they just want to be part of this journey with us and help sponsor it in a way that helps bring more people to the table with us. So I think there's many opportunities at hand whether you want to again be on the show, reach out to us, let us know what your story is and how you think you could be part of it.
We'd love to hear from you, reach out, let us know and we'll see if we can make that connection.
