MOSES LAKE, Wash. (04FEB2016) -- The Grant County Sheriff’s Office recently honored one of its reserve deputies who retired after 17 years of service.
Bruce Snyder of Moses Lake became a reserve deputy in June 1998 because he felt compelled to give back to the citizens of Grant County.
“Since I was a young child I had always had a great respect for and interest in law enforcement,” said Snyder.
He was honored recently by the sheriff’s office and was presented with a plaque with his badge mounted in the center.
Snyder, who held positions ranging from reserve deputy all the way up to reserve lieutenant, recalled some of the incidents he had responded to over the years. One of the scariest was when he answered a call to check on the welfare of a person in a rural part of the county.
“I knocked on the front door and announced I was law enforcement,” said Snyder. “I was greeted by a gunshot that went through the door I was standing at.” Thankfully, Snyder wasn’t hurt.
Snyder fondly recalls some of the work he and other deputies are able to do to help those in need. On one such occasion, Snyder and other deputies answered a call and when they arrived at the home, they discovered the family had no food for the children. Not wanting the kids to go to sleep hungry, Snyder used his own money to help buy the family groceries. That’s the kind of good stories about cops that don’t regularly make the news.
Snyder says it was difficult choice to retire, but after discussing it with his wife, he decided he wanted to spend more of his free time with his family and grandchildren.
“I will miss the interaction with the other Reserve Deputies, as well as the regular full-time Deputies,” said Snyder. “Over my 17 years as a reserve deputy I developed friendships from within all of the Law Enforcement community in Grant County and will miss working with all of them as well.”
Sheriff Tom Jones says he will miss Snyder and the positive impact he had on the sheriff’s office.
“Bruce is one of those guys everybody looks up to,” said Jones. “Seventeen years is a long time to be a cop, especially a reserve cop, and Bruce always carried himself as a professional and treated everyone with dignity and respect.”
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PR75/AGT1
