Randall Moon says he's investigated just about every kind of serious crime during his law enforcement career with the Oakwood Police Department - aggravated assault, robbery, rape, murder - but even though the job may force him to have a tough exterior, he gets a little teary-eyed when he thinks about his retirement this week.
"I'm just absolutely thrilled to have made a difference," Moon said, his voice catching. "It's been a good ride...I can tell you horror stories and I can tell you glory stories. I'll take 'em with me."
Moon, a native of Lawrenceville, has worked for the Oakwood Police Department for 29 years, 25 of those as chief.
In an interview at his office last week, the 54-year-old Moon said he's never wanted to have any other career. He was inspired by two Georgia State Patrol troopers who visited his second grade class to talk about bicycle safety.
"I know this sounds corny, but it's the God's truth...and I can remember just as plain as sitting right here, sitting on my knees in the floor, looking up at them and thinking 'Oh my God, that is the greatest!" Moon said.
After he graduated from high school in 1982, Moon went to Arizona to work on a hay farm, but when the family that owned the farm changed business plans, Moon found a job in law enforcement and stayed out west until he got homesick.
"I just got to missing my family," Moon said.
He said when he returned to Georgia he took a break from law enforcement for about two years, but police work kept calling his name.
"I took some time to operate heavy equipment. You know, construction was booming back then with the housing market," Moon said. "I just saw that I wasn't going to be happy, so I went to Lake Lanier Islands...they actually had a police force and it was a state police force."
Moon was there for about a year and a half when Oakwood came calling. It took some prompting, he said, but he eventually decided to make the move to Oakwood in 1990.
During his tenure, Moon has seen the city change, noting that about 74-percent of the city is made up of commercial businesses and the layout of the city has changed to accommodate that growth.
"I'm sure some people can remember when Mundy Mill [Road] was a dirt road, but I can remember when it was two-lane and once you got past the Pizza Hut going toward McEver Road, it was dark city," Moon said. "Now look at it - it's a four-lane highway with 40,000-plus cars a day...a big change in traffic."
Moon also said the growth at the University of North Georgia [UNG] has changed the way the department polices the city.
"I think the college has grown probably four times the number they had 10 years ago," Moon speculated. "We find we're working more and more with them [the UNG Police Department]."
Moon said his leadership philosophy may be different than most police chiefs, but it has worked well for Oakwood.
"When you go through the chief's school...they teach you not to be the officer's friend. They tell you to separate because friendship will interfere. I've been just the opposite," said Moon. "I think every officer here will tell you I'm your best friend, and I can go from hugging your neck and loving on you one minute to firing you the next if that's what it takes."
Moon said the disciplining of officers has been one of the most difficult parts of his job, but he's done it for the betterment of the officer and the department overall.
As for the future, Moon said he'll take a couple of months to rest and then he'll probably work in some capacity, but he said it won't involve "a gun or a badge."
Moon said he's unsure who his replacement will be, but he has a little advice for the new person who will lead the Oakwood Police Department.
"Be a friend. Be a family...I think what's set us [Oakwood] apart from everybody else is that we are a family," Moon said. "He needs to be open and he needs to listen to his officers and not ask them to do nothing that he wouldn't do."
Editor's note: Oakwood city officials are hosting a community reception in honor of Randall Moon on Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 2-4 p.m. at the Oakwood Police Department, located at 4035 Walnut Circle.
