CHEIF BOYD HAS SERVED WELL

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard H. Boyd Jr. is leaving the police department Aug. 31 after almost three decades of distinguished service, the last eight of which he ran the department in exemplary fashion.

"Butch," as everyone calls him, didn't take the top administrative job to settle back behind a desk and await retirement. Instead, Boyd never lost his love for being where the action was or at the scene of a major crime seeking out clues. And when those clues led to arrests, who was there to help make them? The police chief, of course, because Boyd loved to make arrests.

At 55, Boyd said he is ready for a change. He has accepted a position as head of security for Southeast Missouri Hospital. Considering his hands-on way of doing things, and dedicating almost every waking hour for the past eight years to the department, his new job is bound to allow him a somewhat slower-paced life.

Sadly, the chief said the motorcycle accident that cost fellow officer and friend Danny Niswonger a leg played a part in his decision to resign. Boyd and Niswonger, who left the department afterward, spent many years working together. They approached their jobs identically, always with a sense of purpose and fairness.

Boyd deserves the community's gratitude for a job well done during his 26 years with the department.