After nearly 60 years, dedicated cop turns in badge and gun
SAN JOSE CA December 25 2018 — After a career spanning more than 57 years with the San Jose Police Department, believed to be the longest tenure in the city’s history, Aubrey Parrott is no longer patrolling the streets of his hometown.
Parrott, who spent 32 years as a full-time police officer in San Jose and another 25 as a reserve, worked his last patrol shift in October, keeping a promise to his wife Emily to hang it up by the age of 80. Tuesday, Parrott was presented with a commendation from the San Jose City Council for his 57 years, two months and 18 days of service to the community.
Although there is no official record, city officials say Parrott is probably the longest serving officer in the history of the San Jose Police Department.
“We often speak about the loyalty and pride that we wear in this uniform and this patch,” San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Tuesday during a ceremonial presentation at a City Council meeting. “I don’t know if you can find that anywhere more than Aubrey Parrott.
“And when you talk about legends in police departments, we are standing next to a legend of the San Jose Police Department.”
During the presentation, Councilman Don Rocha highlighted just a few of the achievements from Parrott’s storied career.
Friday, Parrott said he was still “floating” from all the kind words spoken about him at the council meeting.
“I don’t think I’ve ever choked up on anything, but that stopped me right in my feet,” Parrott said.
Parrott, who was first appointed as a full-time officer for San Jose on July 1, 1961, worked in a variety of roles, including a pairing with a police dog and time as a detective with the narcotics unit.
In 1987, Parrott was honored with a medal of valor for directing a team of officers during a robbery/shooting “in which no officers were harmed,” Rocha said. In 1988, Parrott was given a hazardous duty award for “entering a burning apartment complex to make sure no one was inside and for applying medical treatment for an adult and toddler injured.”
Parrott retired in 1993 as a sergeant, but his time patrolling the streets of San Jose was far from over. He immediately joined the San Jose police department’s reserve unit and spent more than 25 years working in that capacity.
In California, reserve officers must complete the state-required minimum level of training that full-time officers also undertake — 18 weeks of classroom and field instruction. In San Jose, like many other departments, the standards are even higher, with physical agility tests, psychological exams and bi-annual gun qualifications.
As a reservist, Parrott typically worked one night a month, sometimes patrolling downtown San Jose with another officer in a two-person car. His other reserve duties included making safety talks at schools and working community events such as Christmas in the Park, where he often handed out hundreds of candy canes while in uniform.
In 2014, Parrott was honored as a Hometown Hero at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Sonoma for his service as a police officer and years of charity work for programs such as Christmas in the Park, Shop-With-A-Cop and Tip a Cop.
He also served as a role model to younger officers, explaining the importance of engaging with the community and having conversations with people on the street.
During the ceremony Tuesday, Parrott thanked his wife for her decades of support. The Parrotts will celebrate 55 years of marriage in January.
He also thanked the residents of San Jose for their support through the years, noting the countless times people anonymously paid for a meal or stopped him on the street to thank him for his service.
The Mercury News
