Hollandsworth retires from police department
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That’s what co-workers and supervisors said of Hollandsworth when he retired from the force after 26 years of police service and four years of military service that counted toward his police retirement, making 30 years of enforcement efforts.
“He would have jumped off a bridge to help someone,” McMinnville Police Chief Joe Melton said after Hollandsworth was honored among family, friends and co-workers Wednesday.
Melton classified Hollandsworth as someone who thought policing was not always about jailing people, but rather helping them. “That’s the kind of man he is,” the chief added.
Hollandsworth was also described by Capt. Bryan Denton as a force to be reckoned with. As a subordinate, Denton recalled a rough night where police officers were having difficulty controlling the environment around them when someone noticed Hollandsworth was on the scene.
“I heard this guy say, ‘You messed up now. Here comes John Wayne Hollandsworth,'” Denton said, drawing a laugh from the crowd.
And Melton said Hollandsworth stuck it out at the department in times when matters like pay weren’t so great and when many officers weren’t inclined to persevere. Additionally, Melton said not a lot of officers end up retiring from the department.
“It says a lot because the city had started looking at that a long time ago. If we didn’t pay better and offer something, this was a training center for Murfreesboro and bigger cities. Our officers would get certified and go to work for Murfreesboro,” Melton said, adding the city has made efforts to improve pay and benefits.
“John has been an outstanding officer. If I told John to go out and do something, I didn’t have to go behind him and see if it was done. I knew it was done. And John was an officer for the people. Anything he could do to help people, that’s what he did,” Melton said. “He got joy out of helping someone out there, not writing them a ticket or taking them to jail. He enjoyed being there to help some person and that’s what policing is about.”
Hollandsworth was presented with plaques from the Fraternal Order of the Police, retirement gifts, and was allowed to keep his badge and his service weapon after a presentation by Mayor Royce Davenport.
“You don’t really know what kind of friends you have until something like this happens,” Hollandsworth said after receiving best wishes. “I appreciate it and I can’t say enough.”