WATCH: IFPD officer breaks down as he signs off his final shift
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IDAHO FALLS — Officer Buc Rogers couldn’t contain his emotions.
He picked up the radio in his patrol car, pushed the button and said some of the same words he’s uttered at the end of every shift for nearly 27 years.
“Dispatch, local units, city and county. 8B-81. 10-42. Thank you for the years,” Rogers said, breaking down and trying to hold back tears.
8B-81 was Rogers’ assigned Idaho Falls Police Department badge number. 10-42 is the code officers announce on the radio at the end of their shifts.
On Sunday evening, the 56-year-old patrolman said those words for the last time. His wife, Gail Birdsong, recorded the sign-off and posted the touching video on Facebook. As of Tuesday morning, it had been viewed more than 12,000 times and shared nearly 200 times.
“I was leaving a family. When you become a police officer, it’s for life. Your friends become your family,” Rogers told EastIdahoNews.com. “You always have your fellow officers and their families no matter what.”
Rogers began his career with the IFPD in 1991 after serving as a United States Army policeman for 11 years. The Massachusetts native has held a variety of positions within the department including patrol officer, school resource officer, traffic officer and he spent the last three years working at the Idaho Falls Airport with TSA officers.
“All of the jobs were really enjoyable,” Rogers said. “It’s always been nice being able to help somebody. (Since being) a school resource officer, I’ve had students (come up), say hi and ask if I remember them. People whose hit-and-run accidents I investigated 10 years ago as an officer see me now and say thanks. It’s been rewarding.”
Rogers decided to retire so he could spend more time with his family. He says being a police officer is a “young person’s game” and it has become more difficult over the years given the negative publicity police often receive.
“It’s not publicized as much when an officer does something really good,” Rogers said. “We go through a lot of different training and do a lot of good. But that’s often ignored.”
Rogers said he’s “very surprised” that so many people have watched and shared his sign-off video on social media, adding that “there really are people who care.”
He has already started looking at some other jobs that are less stressful and is thankful for the memories he has serving the citizens of Idaho Falls.