7TH LONGEST ACTIVE SERVING PEACE OFFICER IN CALIFORNIA TO RETIRE
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. June 12 2020 – After 60 years as a sworn peace officer with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Reserve Sergeant Al Imhoff is retiring.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday, recognizing Sgt. Imhoff’s retirement.
He is also a United States Military Veteran. In 1955, he served with the National Guard. He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960 and did an additional two years in the Navy Reserves from 1960 to 1962, BCSO officials said. He served in the Air Force Reserves from 1968 to 1995, where he reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force.
Sgt. Imhoff came on as a deputy sheriff for BCSO in June of 1960. Over the decades, he held assignments in patrol, investigations, training, backgrounds, internal affairs, civil court security, and corrections, according to the sheriff’s department. He also served as the Patrol Administration Sergeant where he oversaw civil, evidence, internal affairs, backgrounds, and records.
Imhoff also held several more duties, such as a hostage negotiator and a narcotics investigator.
In 1970 Sergeant Imhoff started the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard. He was a member for 50 years. BCSO officials said it’s estimated Imhoff attended 150 funerals for fallen peace officers and family members of peace officers who passed away.
In 1990, Imhoff retired from full-time service, but continued to serve the Butte County Sheriff’s Office for 30 more years as a reserve deputy and member of the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse.
The state of California has 78,000 full-time sworn peace officers, BCSO said. Sgt. Imhoff is currently the seventh-longest active serving peace officer in California.
