Retirement Fits Like a Glove

On April 15, his last day of work at the Concord police department, Deputy Chief Paul Macone walked out of the station in his uniform for the last time.

He mostly felt relief, as he drove to his comfortable home and began retirement after 30 years on the force, moving up steadily over the years from a part-timer, or special officer to detective, lieutenant, then deputy to Chief Len Wetherbee, his lifelong friend.

The two men grew up together in Concord and once lived across the street from one another, both going to the same Concord schools. They worked together as cops for many years. Wetherbee retired earlier in the year.

"A few years ago, when he was chief and I was deputy chief, we looked at each other and said, 'you know, we are running this department,'" said Macone, relaxing in his living room.

Macone hasn't had a day of regret that he's not on call. He's never looked back and missed the action.

"You just know when it's time to go," he said.

For one, he doesn't have to respond 24/7. He doesn't even have to answer his Blackberry.

"I was a little anxious at not going to the same place after 30 years, but I was happy," he said.

Macone, a 1973 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School, was an industrial arts teacher at a private high school in Natick when the recession hit and he was laid off. That is how he became a cop, he said.

"It was more a sign of the times than anything else," he said. "There were no jobs."

His first assignment was during the Blizzard of '78 when he stood on Bedford Street and told motorists they couldn't drive onto the highway because of the snow.

"I was freezing," he said. "It was strange."

However, Macone found the department and the town great places to work. He credits the elevation of Len Wetherbee to chief and the arrival of Town Manager Chris Whelan as "setting a high bar" for public employees. He made fast friends within other departments, and got to work with his lifelong pal.

"It appealed to me because I was doing a variety of different things every day," said Macone. "I was never pigeon-holed into one thing."

In 1981 he because a full-time officer. Bill Costello was chief then. Macone said it is rare now for cops to grow up in the town they serve, but back then, it was pretty common. He said Jeff Melisi is now the only officer that grew up in Concord. Melisi's father was a cop in Concord too.

But Macone said the size of the police department has not changed because the population has remained stable.

"It's been a series of ongoing highs and lows over the years," he said. "You solve a complicated crime, then you don't."

He said he started as a patrolman, then became prosecutor, juvenile detective, adult detective, detective sergeant, lieutenant, and deputy chief. He said he did not aspire to step into Wetherbee's shoes.

"I couldn't have been more fortunate," said Macone. He said he knew he would retire this spring when Whelan appointed Barry Neal as chief.

Macone said the town has changed a lot in the 30 years he spent on the force.

"Traffic clearly is much worse now," he said. "There is also a marked difference in crime related to youth. It has dropped."

He said back in the '80s, it wasn't unusual to be called to a party with 400 to 500 teens at it. But he said greater parental involvement has cut down on the out-of-control partying. Plus, he said the emphasis on college and maintaining a clear police record have played a role too.

So now, Macone answers his phone when he wants to. It's the same with email. That first day after his retirement began, he didn't answer the phone at all. He enjoyed the silence.

"I was ecstatic," he said. "It was life-altering in a positive way. I sleep regular hours and I have a life." He met his wife, Donna, in high school. She works at Thoreau School.

He often hears from old-timers who say that Concord "is not the town I grew up in," to which he responds, "this isn't the world I grew up in. Things have changed. Concord is more affluent, but it is more affluent everywhere."

He enjoys keeping up with current events now and spends time fixing things around the house.

"It's terrific," he said of retirement. "I won't always be like this." Soon, he knows he will get involved in various time-consuming projects.

"I call this a sabbatical," he said.