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Gonzales has no regrets
Doug Flanagan/Post-Register
One of Bill Gonzales’ favorite memories from his time as a Quincy police officer was when he helped to track down and arrest the persons responsible for shooting reserve officer Manuel Guerrero in the 1980s.
So what’s the first thing that Bill Gonzales is going to do now that he’s retired from his job as Quincy’s police chief?
“Well, I’m going to defuse for a little while,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “It’ll be nice to sit out on my deck and have a cup of coffee and play with the girls, Olivia and Molly — my Yorkies — and not have to hurry into work. It will be nice to not worry about the phone always ringing.
“But then I’ve got to find a hobby.”
Oh, sure, Gonzales has had outside interests during his time as a police officer. It’s just that he didn’t have a lot of time to pursue them.
He’ll have that time now. Maybe you’ll see him out on a lake fishing. He wants to pursue some woodworking projects. He’ll spend more time with his grandchildren.
Heck, he might even look into going back to school.
“I’m excited to start this new phase in my life,” Gonzales said. “In my career, it’s hard to find time for hobbies. Mostly I’ll just take care of some projects around the house and do some gardening. There’s some concrete work I want to do, different things around the house. And of course, my wife and family members have volunteered me for various things.”
Gonzales has spent the last 32 1/2 years as a member of the Quincy Police Department, the last 10 as police chief.
His last official day of work is Friday, July 31. After that, Gonzales will be a civilian for the first time in a long while.
“I told my wife the other day, ‘Wow, it’s going to be different. I’m going to be a ‘normal’ person,’ ” he said. “People put such an eye on police officers as a whole, so your personal life is on notice at all times. To not have to be in that position will be different.
“But I’m going to miss working with the public. I’ve always had an open door, and people have been able to walk in and walk out. I enjoy talking to people, not necessarily as the police chief or city employee. I’m not going to be in the middle of city developments, business, decision-making, different aspects that affect the whole city. I’ll miss all that, too.”
Just because Gonzales is retiring from his full-time job doesn’t mean that he won’t continue to be active and involved in the community.
For the last six years, he’s been the head fastpitch softball coach at Quincy High School. For the last 22 years, he’s been involved in youth girls sports at various levels. He started when his daughters were involved and found he relished working with children.
“I want to come back (to my fastpitch coaching post),” he said. “We’ve got a good group of athletes coming back. The program is growing slowly. We’re on the cusp of taking it to the next level.”
When Gonzales first started with the police department, he didn’t necessarily have a goal of becoming chief. He thought he might spend a few years in Quincy, then move on to a bigger city and bigger department.
But as he advanced through the ranks and eventually became chief, he knew that staying and building a long life in Quincy, the town where he was raised, was the right thing for him.
“I never looked back,” he said. “I was lucky to work for some good chiefs who steered me on the right path and work with some good officers who helped me out.
“I think I’ve had a good career. I have no regrets.”
