Thursday, Jul. 03, 2008

Officer relied on own philosophy for 31 years in PD

Capt. Frank Galbrecht Sr. looks at law enforcement as an idea — a concept larger than an individual officer, bigger than any department.

“We represent an idea,” he said. “It involves ideals called democracy.”

Galbrecht says he has learned that policing in America is about making equal rights and due process work, upholding the Bill of Rights and enforcing the law.

Galbrecht also has a healthy concept of the public: He says most people are good.

“I’m very careful how I think about people, about things,” he said. “You can’t think everyone is bad or that they’re going to commit a crime.”

Criminals are a small piece of a much larger community pie, he said. But Galbrecht says officers have to respect criminals and be professional — otherwise his concept of policing within American society doesn’t work.

“You respect them; never look down on them,” he said. “It’s critical for young officers to learn this: You’re never better than the people you deal with.”

This philosophy has helped Galbrecht through a longer-than-average career in the Olathe Police Department. The average officer works 20 to 25 years in Johnson County. Galbrecht retired June 30 after 31 years, seven months and 10 days on the job. He also spent his entire career in one department.

Galbrecht joined the Olathe Police Department on Oct. 20, 1976. The department was under the direction of Public Safety, which also operated the Fire Department and city dispatchers. He filled out his employment paperwork in the city building at 100 W. Santa Fe St., which is now the City Hall West annex building.

The Police Department, which had two holding cells, was in the basement of that small building. The building’s size, though, was right for the size of the department and the community in 1976. Galbrecht, a sergeant, and one other officer would patrol Olathe.

“We would divide it at Buchanan (Street), and one took the east side and one the west,” he said.

Olathe had a population of more than 20,000 people in 1976. As the city grew, so did the department. It now has 172 sworn officers and about 30 civilian employees.

A lot has changed since Galbrecht’s first days on patrol — philosophies, technology and professional standards.

“New buildings, chiefs, city managers, council people — I’ve seen a number concepts, ideas and philosophies over the years on how to run a police department or how to run a city,” he said.

Some of those ideas have worked while others failed. But he handled the changes by being flexible.

That also means not taking it to heart when a criminal gets off on a technicality.

“I’m not bent out shape when a criminal gets off,” he said. “In the court system you have to have legal guilt. That doesn’t mean ethically you weren’t guilty, but policing in America is about process. It’s about due process; it’s about fairness.”

That’s why it’s important that officers do their jobs correctly and professionally, he said. He described it as “keeping your own house in order first.”

He also says a stable home life is necessary to survive in the profession. Galbrecht married his wife, Joanne, the year he joined the department. He describes her as his backbone, his stability. They have five children. The youngest, Molly, will be a sophomore at Olathe South High School.

His oldest daughter, Diane, just opened Galbrecht Eyecare, LLC in the new Wal-Mart at K-7 Highway and Santa Fe Street. His oldest son, Frank Jr., is an officer with the Salina Police Department. His son Thomas works for Bank of the Prairie in Olathe and is getting his business degree from Emporia State University. Paul graduated from Olathe North High School after going through the culinary program and started college this summer.

“We’ve been very blessed,” he said. “I’ve been very blessed in this profession, in this city.”

Galbrecht had two dreams — one was law enforcement and the other was to teach in a community college. He’s going to use his knowledge and years of experience in law enforcement to teach students in the Administration of Justice program at Johnson County Community College.

Galbrecht starts his new profession in August. He plans to share his philosophy with students.

“I’m a firm believer if you do the right thing in your life and you strive to walk the high road each day, good things will happen,” he said.

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