Wednesday, March 26, 2003
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Wednesday, March 26, 2003 |
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Tyrone's longtime police chief dies suddenly at 56 By JOHN MUNFORD
Tyrone Police Chief Roger Spencer, who died unexpectedly Monday at the age of 56, is being remembered by friends and colleagues as a solid lawman who was easy to get along with because of his unique sense of humor. Spencer, who has been with the town since 1982, was "an excellent police chief," said Town Manager Barry Amos. "He was very community-oriented and citizen-oriented and he was very proud of his many accomplishments with the department," Amos said. "He will be sorely missed. Those are going to be some big shoes to fill." Assistant Police Chief Van Brock is currently running the day-to-day operations at the department but the mayor and council will select a new police chief at a later date, Amos said. Spencer died at Fayette Community Hospital after being admitted for heart-related problems, published reports said. Spencer was hired in 1982 by then-chief Bill McKenzie as one of two patrol officers. McKenzie said he always looked up to Spencer, who had a little more big-city police experience under his belt, first with the Atlanta Police Department and then the Fulton County Police Department. Spencer "just fit right in" when he came to Tyrone from working in Fulton County," McKenzie said. When McKenzie left Tyrone to become chief deputy in Coweta County three years after hiring Spencer, he was the one who recommended Spencer be named the town's new chief, a position he has held ever since. "In fact, he was probably more capable than I was" to serve as Tyrone's chief, McKenzie said. "... I can say without a doubt Roger was one of the finest police officers I know, if not the finest." McKenzie and Spencer were also next-door neighbors and they watched their children grow up together, McKenzie remembered. "Roger really loved his family," McKenzie said. Ben Thomas, who worked under Spencer in Tyrone before becoming assistant police chief in Hapeville, said Spencer was an "exemplary" police officer. "You always knew where you stood" with Spencer, said Thomas, who called Spencer his best friend. "He was a comedian, but he was a very fair person. He treated you with decency and respect." One of Spencer's traits was his legendary sense of humor, said Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson. "He always had something funny going on" and would "keep everybody awake at meetings," Johnson said. Spencer had a way of trading humorous barbs at his friends and colleagues, and he could dish it out pretty fast, Johnson recalled. "I don't care what you had on Roger, he'd always come back at you with something good," Johnson said. "He was always the life of a crowd. "He's just a good guy and a great friend." Thomas agreed that Spencer's sense of humor endeared him to many. "Even if you were mad at him, it wouldn't be for more than a hot minute because you'd be laughing again," Thomas said. "If someone didn't like Roger, they didn't know him."
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