An officer remembered fondly for his compassionate treatment of others, Monte Glaser retired from the Aberdeen Police Department Friday after nearly 35 years on the job.
Glaser put in his shift on Friday and said he felt the time was right to retire and spend more time with his family. Spending many years as a patrol officer, Glaser became well-known and liked by many in the community. In an interview Friday, he described his policing style as bringing a rational and fair approach to situations that may at first seem unstable.
“If you go into an environment that’s chaotic, and you bring some semblance of order, that helps calm everyone down, because they realize, ‘Oh, we’re getting back in control now, everything’s going to be OK,’” Glaser said. “Everything is based on what a reasonable person would do. People recognize reasonable people.”
It is a bittersweet retirement for Glaser, 65, who said the police department has been like another family to him, along with the all of the nearby area’s first responders.
“In terms of first responders, it’s like one big giant team that works so well together, and I think that has given me the most satisfaction,” he said.
Following retirement, Glaser plans to move to Fort Collins, Colo., with his wife. His daughters live there with their own families, and Glaser intends to spend time painting and sculpting as a hobby. Glaser said he hopes to also attend Colorado State University and study foreign languages or possibly pursue other interests like writing or astronomy.
Aberdeen Police Chief Steve Shumate said he’s known Glaser for nearly all of his 30 years in law enforcement. He described Glaser as “one of the most compassionate individuals in this profession I’ve ever met.
“Monte truly was the epitome of that caring law enforcement officer. He has this uncanny ability to help people even at their worst,” said Shumate.
Glaser was also well-liked by many homeless people and their advocates. Christina Gilcrist, a formerly homeless woman who volunteers at the nonprofit group Revival of Grays Harbor, said Glaser was one of the few officers who was sympathetic to the difficulties of the homeless.
“He was always the one cop that wasn’t really out to put us in jail, but figure out how to fix our situation,” said Gilcrist, who spent a few years living at the city’s riverfront homeless camp.
The Rev. Sarah Monroe, an Episcopal priest who regularly assists homeless people on the Chehalis riverfront, said Glaser would be missed in the community.
“I always appreciated his humanity and his ability to see everyone he worked with as a human being,” said Monroe.
With the City of Aberdeen continuing to manage and restrict access to its riverfront homeless camp, Glaser said it’s important to still value the health and well-being of those living there.
“While it’s an encampment, we’ve got to be able to get in there to assist people,” he said. “We do have people with mental health issues, and if they go somewhere they’re isolated, it’s hard to help them out.”
Another notable effort by Glaser was during a major storm in 2007, when he and other responders rescued a woman trapped in her house when it collapsed on the hill in North Aberdeen.
He was part of a team of officers voted the police officers of the year by The Daily World that year.
