Inver Grove Heights Police Veteran Retires After 30 Years of Service

Jerry Salmey still remembers the adrenaline rush he felt when he chased down his first purse-snatcher.

Living in north Minneapolis, Salmey was driving with his brother when they witnessed the theft. The pair jumped out of the car and chased the thief until he dropped the purse — and then returned the item to its grateful owner.

Salmey was planning to go into forestry, but the excitement of the chase convinced him that he was cut out for police work. More than 30 years later, the soon-to-be retired lieutenant with the Inver Grove Heights Police Department says the thrill of the chase is still his favorite part of being a police officer.

“The reason I become a police officer was because I liked to catch people,” Salmey said. “I love the chase, I love trying to find out who did what.”

On Tuesday, Salmey will retire, marking the end of a 30-year career with the Inver Grove Heights Police Department. Last week, he was honored for his work before the Inver Grove Heights City Council and Inver Grove Heights Police Chief Chuck Kleckner, who described Salmey as a compassionate officer.

“It’s hard to replace anybody that’s been here 30 years, but with him it’s much bigger than that, it’s the personal aspect as well as the professional aspect,” said Kleckner.

Salmey, who currently oversees the patrol division of the department, began working in Inver Grove in 1981 as a patrol officer, and was promoted to sergeant 12 years later. In 2004, he earned the rank of lieutenant.

Salmey brought a high level of dedication to the force, Kleckner said, and was “brutally honest” — never afraid to voice his opinion about a new policy or initiative implemented in the department. He also helped the department implement new technology, like digital recording devices and transcription equipment.

Many of those technological advances have had a huge impact on police work over the last three decades, Salmey said.

“When I first started, you had your radio, your siren control, and that was it [in a squad car],” Salmey said. Now, police officers on patrol are equipped with mobile fingerprint scanners, computers, cell phones, video cameras and other gear, Salmey said.

“You have the ability to get on the Internet and find anything we need to find out about somebody,” Salmey said. “You can do so much more from your squad car with your computer.”

Salmey said he will miss spending time with his friends and co-workers among the police department. The 55-year-old said he plans to spend the summer vacationing and relaxing.

The lieutenant, who was once awarded for valor after fighting with and subduing a violent suspect, also said he will also miss the adrenaline rush of police work.

“You don’t realize what you do at the time, how it affects people, but in the long run you hope you’re doing the right thing so it helps people out,” Salmey said.