LONGTIME DEPUTY FONDLY RECALLED

STORY BY NICK PERNA PHOTO COURTESY JOHNSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

It’s been said that law enforcement is a young person’s profession. Working nights, enduring long hours and having the physical ability and stamina to go toe to toe with an equally young criminal element are all reasons why it is best left to the youth.

As I enter my 23rd year in law enforcement, and my 53rd year on this planet, I know my days staying up all night chasing bad guys are probably behind me. I run a detective unit now and work mostly days, which is probably where a future AARP member like myself should be. But I stay proficient on all of my assigned weapons systems and maintain a strict physical fitness regimen, just in case. But like Sergeant Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover) was fond of saying in the Lethal Weapon movie series, I’m getting too old for this you-know-what.

However, my time in uniform (and on Earth) pales in comparison to

Deputy Bill Hardin. Deputy Hardin passed away on February 17 of this year. He was 99 years old. Now here’s the amazing part: He was still working as an active law enforcement officer!

DEPUTY HARDIN BEGAN his career in Texas in 1947 as a member of the Fort Worth Police Department. He later transferred to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. He eventually landed at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, outside Dallas, where he would work for 28 years until his recent passing.

To put that in perspective, Deputy

Hardin’s time in uniform spanned 14 US presidents. He was a lawman during the Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and the Global War On Terror. The changes in law enforcement during that timeframe are epic. An officer in the late 1940s would hit the street with a sixshooter, a night stick and not much else. Throughout Deputy Hardin’s time, law enforcement got radios in cars, portable radios to carry on their person, in-car computers, semiautomatic firearms, patrol rifles, robots, drones and bodyworn cameras. The list goes on and on. Despite being in it for the long haul, Deputy Hardin’s stone gathered no moss. He was active throughout his entire career. He was a narcotics officer with Fort Worth PD in 1957, one of only two officers assigned to the new unit at the time. He also founded the Texas Narcotics Officers Association in 1970.

Despite the rigors of the job, it was said that Deputy Hardin always had a smile on his face. He had a warm, friendly handshake and was known for treating everyone fairly. Looking at the 600-plus comments on the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page announcing his memorial service, it is a long list of all of the people who had been impacted by him, including officers who had served alongside him, as well as those members of the different Texas communities he had helped throughout the years.

For over 70 years Deputy Hardin kept Texans safe, made them feel secure, and always offered a kind smile and handshake. Rest in peace, Bill; we’ll take it from here. 

Editor’s note: Author Nick Perna is a sergeant with the Redwood City Police Department in northern California. He previously served as a paratrooper in the US Army and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also has a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. He is a frequent contributor to multiple print and online forums on topics related to law enforcement, firearms, tactics and veterans issues.