Evans: Upcoming Retirement Exciting, Bittersweet

Cookeville Police Chief Randy Evans said he is feeling both excited and sad as the reality of his upcoming retirement sets in.

Evans announced his retirement Monday, effective in January. Evans said it is bittersweet to be leaving the department where he spent the majority of his adult life, but the chief said he is ready to go. Evans said will take a step back and relax in retirement but he will still be a part of the Cookeville community.

“It’s always the people, right?” Evans said. “I mean, the camaraderie and the relationships that you have and that always, first and foremost, is the thing I think I will miss. And course the opportunity to help people.”

Evans said he is excited to see what the future holds for the Cookeville Police Department under a new chief. Evans said there was no single event that solidified the decision to retire but he knows it is time to move on.

“Obviously I’m going to miss it,” Evans said. “That goes without saying, but I’ve got a family here just like I’ve got a family at home and I don’t expect that to change.”

Evans will step away at the end of January. He will be replaced by Major Scott Winfree. Evans said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family and on his different hobbies.

“First and foremost is family,” Evans said. “So just kind of maybe give them some time that was lost throughout the years.”

Evans said it is unbelievable when he reflects on how much his industry has changed since he started working with Cookeville in 1983.

“At that time you had a revolver and a baton, a wood baton,” Evans said. “And we hot seated cars, so we only had about ten cars for the entire department. So most cars never shut off, I mean they literally went twenty-four hours a day and literally one officer would get off his shift and the next officer would take that car and go back on the road. And of course we didn’t have computers. Everything was done manually. Everything was done on paper.”