Roy Bauer was the son of John and Mary Hamburg Bauer of Sidney, Nebraska. He was married to Lora Bauer. Children include: Kenneth and Yvonne.
Star Herald, Saturday, June 14, 1980
Sydney police Chief hangs up badge
SIDNEY - The walls once garnished with plaques and certificates are bare, the desk and shelves always filled with paperwork and forms are empty, and a nameplate and an old scrapbook have been tucked away. Now the last thing that tied Roy Bauer to his 31 years of police work here was being unpinned and pulled from the chest.
Friday, an era closed here as Bauer took off his police badge, and though he'll be associated with the department here for another year on an advisory basis, Monday morning will find a new police chief sitting behind Bauer's familiar desk.
"I have no regrets at at," Bauer said of choosing law enforcement as a career. "and if I had a chance to do it all over, I'd do it again".
"I really enjoyed my years on the force and I'll always love this profession and town. It's been good to me and I hope in leaving I can look back and see that people respected what I did," he said.
Bauer joined the force at the age of 23, when he was farming in the Sunol area and saw his crop get hailed out. He worked part time that year and eventually became the night captain for 18 years and was appointed chief of police on Oct. 1, 1967.
He noted how much law enforcement has changed all over the years, recalling his first night on the job when he arrested a man for intoxication and didn't even know how to fill out a report.
"It used to be the major portion of your job was making the arrest. The arrest now represents only about 5 percent of the procedure with so much paperwork, court appearances and all the administrative things that go along with law enforcement today," he said.
During his 31 years on the force, Bauer had five guns and one knife pointed at him, and got his nose broken trying to get a man into a cell.
He was never shot at, but the closest he came he still recalls vividly.
"It was during a search for a man who had killed a local woman. It was pitch dark out and we were trampling through some weeds trying to flush the guy out," he said. "The next day when we caught up with him, he told us one of the searchers had come within five feet of him. He was going to shoot him, but at the last second decided against it. I was that man."
Bauer saw the booms and busts of Sidney, back when a six-man department had to deal with an overnight population explosion that swelled the size of Sidney to 8,500 people with the oil boom and the nearby government operated Sioux Army Ammunition Depot plant.
The Wildest night during his career occurred when he and one other officer on duty had to lock up 28 men in six hours. That was during the oil and depot boom days and in the midst of the area wheat harvest when harvesters got rained out during the day.
"We didn't have any communications as to speak of, no two-way radios or nothing. The operator at the phone company would get the call and light up the red light stationed in downtown Sidney. We ran about two calls behind that whole night." Bauer recalls with a chuckle.
Another big asset during his law enforcement career was being able to speak Spanish, a language he picked up while working with Spanish-speaking farm laborers during his youth. He still serves as an interpreter for local law enforcement agencies and says he'll continue to do so if needed.
During his career, Bauer worked under nine different city managers and two mayors prior to the establishment of a city manager form of government here.
Bauer was a board member of the Nebraska Police Officers Association for 12 years and served as both vice-president and president; served for several years as chairman of the Sidney Salvation Army, served as the city and county civil defense director, was a member of several other state and national law enforcement associations. He was also the only police chief in the state to serve on the Jail Standards Board, appointed by the governor.
The latter position he may retain following his retirement.
The law enforcement changes were needed, but now the pendulum has swung to far the other way, he says.
"There seems to be too much protection for the criminal anymore and not enough for the average citizen and the law enforcement officer," he said.
That change and the heavy correlation between drug usage and crime today is the most troubling part of law enforcement, he added.
Perhaps the greatest asset during his career, was his wife Lora, who worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co, Bauer said:
"She stuck by my side throughout my career and I'd like to commend her for putting up with me all these years."
Bauer's son, Kenneth, is also involved in law enforcement, working in the Layton Finger Printing Laboratory for the FBI at Washington D.C., and a brother, John, was also a long-time Sidney policeman.
The early days saw Bauer paid a flat salary of $190 a month and work consisted of six day weeks, 10 to 12 hours a day and more.
"That was just part of your job back then," He said.
He plans to stay in Sidney and get a part-time job eventually, but first on his list is "catching up on some fishing."
"The support the people have given me in this town has just been tremendous. When I announced my retirement, I couldn't believe the amount of people who stopped by to see me and called me. It gives you a good feeling deep inside," he said. His department also honored him with a farewell party Friday afternoon.
Monday morning Joseph A. Stephenson Jr., 32, will be Sidney's police chief and a new era will begin.
Star Herald, Saturday, June 14, 1980
Sydney police Chief hangs up badge
SIDNEY - The walls once garnished with plaques and certificates are bare, the desk and shelves always filled with paperwork and forms are empty, and a nameplate and an old scrapbook have been tucked away. Now the last thing that tied Roy Bauer to his 31 years of police work here was being unpinned and pulled from the chest.
Friday, an era closed here as Bauer took off his police badge, and though he'll be associated with the department here for another year on an advisory basis, Monday morning will find a new police chief sitting behind Bauer's familiar desk.
"I have no regrets at at," Bauer said of choosing law enforcement as a career. "and if I had a chance to do it all over, I'd do it again".
"I really enjoyed my years on the force and I'll always love this profession and town. It's been good to me and I hope in leaving I can look back and see that people respected what I did," he said.
Bauer joined the force at the age of 23, when he was farming in the Sunol area and saw his crop get hailed out. He worked part time that year and eventually became the night captain for 18 years and was appointed chief of police on Oct. 1, 1967.
He noted how much law enforcement has changed all over the years, recalling his first night on the job when he arrested a man for intoxication and didn't even know how to fill out a report.
"It used to be the major portion of your job was making the arrest. The arrest now represents only about 5 percent of the procedure with so much paperwork, court appearances and all the administrative things that go along with law enforcement today," he said.
During his 31 years on the force, Bauer had five guns and one knife pointed at him, and got his nose broken trying to get a man into a cell.
He was never shot at, but the closest he came he still recalls vividly.
"It was during a search for a man who had killed a local woman. It was pitch dark out and we were trampling through some weeds trying to flush the guy out," he said. "The next day when we caught up with him, he told us one of the searchers had come within five feet of him. He was going to shoot him, but at the last second decided against it. I was that man."
Bauer saw the booms and busts of Sidney, back when a six-man department had to deal with an overnight population explosion that swelled the size of Sidney to 8,500 people with the oil boom and the nearby government operated Sioux Army Ammunition Depot plant.
The Wildest night during his career occurred when he and one other officer on duty had to lock up 28 men in six hours. That was during the oil and depot boom days and in the midst of the area wheat harvest when harvesters got rained out during the day.
"We didn't have any communications as to speak of, no two-way radios or nothing. The operator at the phone company would get the call and light up the red light stationed in downtown Sidney. We ran about two calls behind that whole night." Bauer recalls with a chuckle.
Another big asset during his law enforcement career was being able to speak Spanish, a language he picked up while working with Spanish-speaking farm laborers during his youth. He still serves as an interpreter for local law enforcement agencies and says he'll continue to do so if needed.
During his career, Bauer worked under nine different city managers and two mayors prior to the establishment of a city manager form of government here.
Bauer was a board member of the Nebraska Police Officers Association for 12 years and served as both vice-president and president; served for several years as chairman of the Sidney Salvation Army, served as the city and county civil defense director, was a member of several other state and national law enforcement associations. He was also the only police chief in the state to serve on the Jail Standards Board, appointed by the governor.
The latter position he may retain following his retirement.
The law enforcement changes were needed, but now the pendulum has swung to far the other way, he says.
"There seems to be too much protection for the criminal anymore and not enough for the average citizen and the law enforcement officer," he said.
That change and the heavy correlation between drug usage and crime today is the most troubling part of law enforcement, he added.
Perhaps the greatest asset during his career, was his wife Lora, who worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co, Bauer said:
"She stuck by my side throughout my career and I'd like to commend her for putting up with me all these years."
Bauer's son, Kenneth, is also involved in law enforcement, working in the Layton Finger Printing Laboratory for the FBI at Washington D.C., and a brother, John, was also a long-time Sidney policeman.
The early days saw Bauer paid a flat salary of $190 a month and work consisted of six day weeks, 10 to 12 hours a day and more.
"That was just part of your job back then," He said.
He plans to stay in Sidney and get a part-time job eventually, but first on his list is "catching up on some fishing."
"The support the people have given me in this town has just been tremendous. When I announced my retirement, I couldn't believe the amount of people who stopped by to see me and called me. It gives you a good feeling deep inside," he said. His department also honored him with a farewell party Friday afternoon.
Monday morning Joseph A. Stephenson Jr., 32, will be Sidney's police chief and a new era will begin.
Roy Bauer was the son of John and Mary Hamburg Bauer of Sidney, Nebraska. He was married to Lora Bauer. Children include: Kenneth and Yvonne.
Star Herald, Saturday, June 14, 1980
Sydney police Chief hangs up badge
SIDNEY - The walls once garnished with plaques and certificates are bare, the desk and shelves always filled with paperwork and forms are empty, and a nameplate and an old scrapbook have been tucked away. Now the last thing that tied Roy Bauer to his 31 years of police work here was being unpinned and pulled from the chest.
Friday, an era closed here as Bauer took off his police badge, and though he'll be associated with the department here for another year on an advisory basis, Monday morning will find a new police chief sitting behind Bauer's familiar desk.
"I have no regrets at at," Bauer said of choosing law enforcement as a career. "and if I had a chance to do it all over, I'd do it again".
"I really enjoyed my years on the force and I'll always love this profession and town. It's been good to me and I hope in leaving I can look back and see that people respected what I did," he said.
Bauer joined the force at the age of 23, when he was farming in the Sunol area and saw his crop get hailed out. He worked part time that year and eventually became the night captain for 18 years and was appointed chief of police on Oct. 1, 1967.
He noted how much law enforcement has changed all over the years, recalling his first night on the job when he arrested a man for intoxication and didn't even know how to fill out a report.
"It used to be the major portion of your job was making the arrest. The arrest now represents only about 5 percent of the procedure with so much paperwork, court appearances and all the administrative things that go along with law enforcement today," he said.
During his 31 years on the force, Bauer had five guns and one knife pointed at him, and got his nose broken trying to get a man into a cell.
He was never shot at, but the closest he came he still recalls vividly.
"It was during a search for a man who had killed a local woman. It was pitch dark out and we were trampling through some weeds trying to flush the guy out," he said. "The next day when we caught up with him, he told us one of the searchers had come within five feet of him. He was going to shoot him, but at the last second decided against it. I was that man."
Bauer saw the booms and busts of Sidney, back when a six-man department had to deal with an overnight population explosion that swelled the size of Sidney to 8,500 people with the oil boom and the nearby government operated Sioux Army Ammunition Depot plant.
The Wildest night during his career occurred when he and one other officer on duty had to lock up 28 men in six hours. That was during the oil and depot boom days and in the midst of the area wheat harvest when harvesters got rained out during the day.
"We didn't have any communications as to speak of, no two-way radios or nothing. The operator at the phone company would get the call and light up the red light stationed in downtown Sidney. We ran about two calls behind that whole night." Bauer recalls with a chuckle.
Another big asset during his law enforcement career was being able to speak Spanish, a language he picked up while working with Spanish-speaking farm laborers during his youth. He still serves as an interpreter for local law enforcement agencies and says he'll continue to do so if needed.
During his career, Bauer worked under nine different city managers and two mayors prior to the establishment of a city manager form of government here.
Bauer was a board member of the Nebraska Police Officers Association for 12 years and served as both vice-president and president; served for several years as chairman of the Sidney Salvation Army, served as the city and county civil defense director, was a member of several other state and national law enforcement associations. He was also the only police chief in the state to serve on the Jail Standards Board, appointed by the governor.
The latter position he may retain following his retirement.
The law enforcement changes were needed, but now the pendulum has swung to far the other way, he says.
"There seems to be too much protection for the criminal anymore and not enough for the average citizen and the law enforcement officer," he said.
That change and the heavy correlation between drug usage and crime today is the most troubling part of law enforcement, he added.
Perhaps the greatest asset during his career, was his wife Lora, who worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co, Bauer said:
"She stuck by my side throughout my career and I'd like to commend her for putting up with me all these years."
Bauer's son, Kenneth, is also involved in law enforcement, working in the Layton Finger Printing Laboratory for the FBI at Washington D.C., and a brother, John, was also a long-time Sidney policeman.
The early days saw Bauer paid a flat salary of $190 a month and work consisted of six day weeks, 10 to 12 hours a day and more.
"That was just part of your job back then," He said.
He plans to stay in Sidney and get a part-time job eventually, but first on his list is "catching up on some fishing."
"The support the people have given me in this town has just been tremendous. When I announced my retirement, I couldn't believe the amount of people who stopped by to see me and called me. It gives you a good feeling deep inside," he said. His department also honored him with a farewell party Friday afternoon.
Monday morning Joseph A. Stephenson Jr., 32, will be Sidney's police chief and a new era will begin.
Star Herald, Saturday, June 14, 1980
Sydney police Chief hangs up badge
SIDNEY - The walls once garnished with plaques and certificates are bare, the desk and shelves always filled with paperwork and forms are empty, and a nameplate and an old scrapbook have been tucked away. Now the last thing that tied Roy Bauer to his 31 years of police work here was being unpinned and pulled from the chest.
Friday, an era closed here as Bauer took off his police badge, and though he'll be associated with the department here for another year on an advisory basis, Monday morning will find a new police chief sitting behind Bauer's familiar desk.
"I have no regrets at at," Bauer said of choosing law enforcement as a career. "and if I had a chance to do it all over, I'd do it again".
"I really enjoyed my years on the force and I'll always love this profession and town. It's been good to me and I hope in leaving I can look back and see that people respected what I did," he said.
Bauer joined the force at the age of 23, when he was farming in the Sunol area and saw his crop get hailed out. He worked part time that year and eventually became the night captain for 18 years and was appointed chief of police on Oct. 1, 1967.
He noted how much law enforcement has changed all over the years, recalling his first night on the job when he arrested a man for intoxication and didn't even know how to fill out a report.
"It used to be the major portion of your job was making the arrest. The arrest now represents only about 5 percent of the procedure with so much paperwork, court appearances and all the administrative things that go along with law enforcement today," he said.
During his 31 years on the force, Bauer had five guns and one knife pointed at him, and got his nose broken trying to get a man into a cell.
He was never shot at, but the closest he came he still recalls vividly.
"It was during a search for a man who had killed a local woman. It was pitch dark out and we were trampling through some weeds trying to flush the guy out," he said. "The next day when we caught up with him, he told us one of the searchers had come within five feet of him. He was going to shoot him, but at the last second decided against it. I was that man."
Bauer saw the booms and busts of Sidney, back when a six-man department had to deal with an overnight population explosion that swelled the size of Sidney to 8,500 people with the oil boom and the nearby government operated Sioux Army Ammunition Depot plant.
The Wildest night during his career occurred when he and one other officer on duty had to lock up 28 men in six hours. That was during the oil and depot boom days and in the midst of the area wheat harvest when harvesters got rained out during the day.
"We didn't have any communications as to speak of, no two-way radios or nothing. The operator at the phone company would get the call and light up the red light stationed in downtown Sidney. We ran about two calls behind that whole night." Bauer recalls with a chuckle.
Another big asset during his law enforcement career was being able to speak Spanish, a language he picked up while working with Spanish-speaking farm laborers during his youth. He still serves as an interpreter for local law enforcement agencies and says he'll continue to do so if needed.
During his career, Bauer worked under nine different city managers and two mayors prior to the establishment of a city manager form of government here.
Bauer was a board member of the Nebraska Police Officers Association for 12 years and served as both vice-president and president; served for several years as chairman of the Sidney Salvation Army, served as the city and county civil defense director, was a member of several other state and national law enforcement associations. He was also the only police chief in the state to serve on the Jail Standards Board, appointed by the governor.
The latter position he may retain following his retirement.
The law enforcement changes were needed, but now the pendulum has swung to far the other way, he says.
"There seems to be too much protection for the criminal anymore and not enough for the average citizen and the law enforcement officer," he said.
That change and the heavy correlation between drug usage and crime today is the most troubling part of law enforcement, he added.
Perhaps the greatest asset during his career, was his wife Lora, who worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co, Bauer said:
"She stuck by my side throughout my career and I'd like to commend her for putting up with me all these years."
Bauer's son, Kenneth, is also involved in law enforcement, working in the Layton Finger Printing Laboratory for the FBI at Washington D.C., and a brother, John, was also a long-time Sidney policeman.
The early days saw Bauer paid a flat salary of $190 a month and work consisted of six day weeks, 10 to 12 hours a day and more.
"That was just part of your job back then," He said.
He plans to stay in Sidney and get a part-time job eventually, but first on his list is "catching up on some fishing."
"The support the people have given me in this town has just been tremendous. When I announced my retirement, I couldn't believe the amount of people who stopped by to see me and called me. It gives you a good feeling deep inside," he said. His department also honored him with a farewell party Friday afternoon.
Monday morning Joseph A. Stephenson Jr., 32, will be Sidney's police chief and a new era will begin.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
