Waxahachie Chief of Police Wade Goolsby will retire in September

Waxahachie Chief of Police Wade Goolsby plans to retire in September after 42 years of service in law enforcement.

Goolsby described his time as a police officer as “fun, relevant, necessary and rewarding.”

“The fun part is the excitement of catching the bad guys,” Goolsby said. “As you get into the job a little while, you realize it’s not only fun, but people rely on you. For every bad guy you can catch, you’re helping a victim, either a past victim or a future victim. That’s the reward in the job; you make a difference in people’s lives, and you don’t always know it.”

Goolsby described a case he had while working at Coppell where a victim was attacked and left for dead. He worked with his partner on the case, found the suspect and arrested him. He said they then forgot about the case.

Ten years later, the victim reached out to the officers involved and invited them to dinner to celebrate her rebirth. She told him, “I got a second chance at life, and you guys were a part of that.”

Looking back, Goolsby said he has learned from working in a wide range of cities that everyone wants the same thing.

“They want to be able to go through life, be treated with respect, live in safety and be able to raise their kids and not be victimized,” he said. “The police departments play a critical role in that.”

He said that is part of the reason it is such a great career.

At every department, Goolsby worked to make it better than when he first got there. He hopes this is the kind of legacy he is leaving behind. He is particularly proud of the culture he helped build in the Waxahachie Police Department. He described it as “open, positive and engaging.” Goolsby said most police departments are not like that, and he is proud of the role he had in creating it.

Goolsby said he never initially planned to work in law enforcement.

While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in architecture at UTA, he worked at JCPenney as a plain-clothes security, catching shoplifters, and he enjoyed it. After graduation, he entered their manager trainee program and decided it wasn’t for him.

That’s when Goolsby decided to be a police officer and applied to the Arlington Police Department and was hired in 1980.

“When I got the job, I thought, well, I’ll do it a couple of years, and then I’ll get a real job,” Goolsby said. “I’m still waiting to get that real job. But it turned into a tremendous career.”

Goolsby started as a patrol officer. While at Arlington, he rose to the rank of sergeant and decided to get his master’s degree in public administration from UTA.

Deciding to “test his resume,” Goolsby sent it to the city of Coppell and was hired as its assistant chief in 1995. In 2005, he went to Southlake and served as its chief of police until 2008. He served as the deputy chief of police for the Seguin Police Department for seven years before becoming the chief of police for Waxahachie in 2015.

Goolsby said he planned to end his career with Seguin, but he and his wife decided to try to move to the DFW metroplex to be closer to their kids and grandchildren. When a position opened in Waxahachie, Goolsby applied, and he said it has been the best way to end his career in law enforcement.

“I can’t think of a better way to end my career than being here,” Goolsby said. “Waxahachie has really been the best part of my career. Because as chief, I could really see the development as the department as a whole and what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s just great to be able to go out on such a high note.”

During retirement, Goolsby said he is going to relax and “have the best-looking yard” and simply enjoy life. They plan to stay in Waxahachie and continue to be a part of the community.

Goolsby said he will help transition the new chief of Waxahachie into their role. His last day will be Sept. 30.

Originally published August 25, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/news/local/waxahachie-chief-of-police-wade-goolsby-will-retire-in-september/article_f874b930-2490-11ed-ba17-e37e5707d197.html