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Retiring police chief reflects on career on Salem force
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Chief Robert Floor, a 30-year veteran of the Salem Police Department, recently announced his retirement effective Feb. 1. Among his accomplishments, Floor said he is proud to have upgraded and modernized the department’s computer system and, along with the department’s administrative lieutenant, to have brought evidence procedures up to date.
SALEM
On his way out the door, police Chief Robert Floor won’t be taking long lunches, lengthy vacations or blocks of personal time.
Instead, the 30-year veteran of the Salem force said he’ll wrap up a rewarding career by making sure everything’s in place for his successor.
Floor recently announced his retirement, to take effect Feb. 1. He wanted to give the city’s civil-service commission time to find a replacement and make necessary appointments to ranks that may open in the process.
Floor said the department has some well-qualified lieutenants who could fill his shoes. “There are actually several people interested in the position,” he said, without naming them. “I feel very good about the hands I’m going to leave the department in.”
Mayor John Berlin and Safety/Service Director Ken Kenst said they appreciate that Floor isn’t going to “coast” into retirement, instead giving enough time to get his department’s affairs in order.
The position will be filled from within, and Berlin said the city has made good decisions in regard to hiring patrolmen in the past. The civil-service commission testing process ensures officers are at the top of their game as they go through the ranks, he said, explaining, “We have a pool of people who have plenty of experience.”
Floor said he’s proud Salem was able to keep crime rates low despite tremendous growth over the years that included development of an industrial park and construction of big-box stores including Walmart and Home Depot.
According to FBI statistics, Salem is in the lowest tenth percentile for crime compared with cities the same size, Floor said. He was quick not to take all the credit, however. “If it wasn’t for great officers, my record wouldn’t look so good,” he said.
Challenges over the years have included staffing, the chief said. A few years ago, the department went from 24 officers to 17, Floor said, explaining that the force is back up to 19.
Drug-related crime is up in Salem, mirroring statistics in many other communities. The chief attributed much of this to heroin and prescription painkillers, which result in crimes of domestic violence, burglary and thefts from vehicles.
The murder of a young boy two years ago is proof that “anything can happen anywhere,” Floor said, but he explained the frequency of serious crime in Salem is low.
As for his accomplishments, Floor said he’s proud to have upgraded and modernized the department’s computer system to improve records storage and allow for computer-assisted dispatching. Floor and the department’s administrative lieutenant also have brought evidence procedures up to date, and he said upgrades have been made to the radio system and for the firearms officers carry.
Floor, 57, is involved with state and local police chiefs associations, the county drug and alcohol board, county 911 board and county mental-health board.
His career began in 1980 as a part-time dispatcher in Lisbon. He was hired by Salem in 1982 and took over the helm in 2006 when former Chief Mike Weitz retired.
Floor said his plans include traveling with his wife, Karen, golf and vacationing in Florida during winters. He may pick up a few handyman jobs for extra money but has no plans to return to law enforcement.
When he looks back over his career, Floor said it’s been very satisfying with more ups than downs. “I can’t think of a better community to have grown up in and served my career in,” he added.
Mayor John Berlin said he’s sure Floor will stay in touch as past chiefs have, to offer advice and expertise. “I’m sure there will be some guys calling him while he’s home cutting grass.”