Anti-Jaywalking Cop Retires After 34 Years
Roll Call Staff
Thompson was born in Burlington, N.C., where his parents instilled in him a “very strict attention to things.” He sang in church, hung out at his parents’ outside barbecue restaurant and remembers being told stories about his grandmother, who carried a pistol under her apron for protection when alone with her nine children.
When Thompson was in high school, he wrote to J. Edgar Hoover for a job at the FBI — and got one as a clerk and later a fingerprint examiner in Washington, D.C. Almost 40 years after leaving his hometown, he still carries a Southern twang (“doggone it” is a favorite phrase) and a love for North Carolina barbecue.
Thompson joined the Capitol Police in 1975, and for a couple of years he handled posts throughout the Capitol and House office buildings. But it soon became clear that manning the doors wasn’t for him — he was so thorough at checking bags and purses that lines would form and visitors grew angry.
He began his post on C Street in 1977 and was appalled to see people “crossing haphazardly all over the place.”
“I said, ‘I’m gonna patrol this,’” he recalled. “This is out of sight.”
He has stuck to that goal ever since. His ever-watchful eye has created perhaps the only corner on Capitol Hill where pedestrians actually wait on the corner when cars are nowhere to be seen.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said he repeatedly used Thompson as an example of “effective law enforcement” when he was the chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.
“There’s one place in the world where you do not jaywalk,” said Mica, who learned that lesson when he was a Hill staffer in the 1980s. “While he is one of the most pleasant and cheerful people, he also has zero tolerance for any offenses.”
Thompson may be controversial among staffers — and newbies who are often the target of his jaywalking ire — but he is beloved by many Members. News of his retirement prompted lawmakers to attend two parties, and several have given him farewell gifts in recent days.
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) stopped by a party for Thompson in the Capitol last week and immediately began reminiscing. He met Thompson 13 years ago, when as a new Congressman he wandered into the officer’s territory.
“He says to me, ‘Where you going, sir?’” Pascrell said. “I said, ‘Officer, I’m going home, and I don’t know where that is!’”
Pascrell, of course, now knows the way home, but he hasn’t ever forgotten Thompson’s help. Other Members say Thompson is a familiar character in a community prone to turnover.
“I don’t know his heritage, but he’s the classic image of an Irish cop,” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said. “Everyone knows who he is.”
Thompson has the traffic tickets to prove it. He has saved almost all of them, only recently cleaning out of his locker what he calls “hoards” of paper.
But handing out tickets isn’t what he remembers most about his career. He has drawers full of letters from friendly tourists, pictures with Members and celebrities, and mementos from inaugurations.
He is also proud of his role as the oldest member of the Capitol Police ceremonial unit, which helped bury presidents, icons and fellow officers. His badge is faded from his faithful polishing before every burial.
He hopes, he said, that he achieved his aim of being an “Andy Griffith” policeman.
“I wanted to show myself as a friendly policeman, a policeman willing to serve them and help them, but also a policeman who wants to be firm,” he said. “I wanted things to be in order.”
Schumer Advocates for Many on Panel
Nov. 16, 12 a.m.
As Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson once said of the Joint Economic Committee, “It’s as useless as tits on a bull.” But as that panel’s chairman during the 110th Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized the opportunity to elevate the traditionally low-profile post to the forefront of shaping policy. Read Full Article
Roll Call Video Channels
