My dad, Brian Dillon, has worked at the Green County Sheriff’s Department for 31 years and officially retired on Thursday, Dec. 21. He has been on honor guard and served as corporal, jail deputy, EVOC instructor and K9 handler. My whole life, I’ve known my dad as a cop.
The earliest memories I have of my father’s career begin when he still worked night shift. I went to bed at night as my dad prepared for work. When I woke up, he went to bed. I remember peeking through my parents’ bedroom door to see him sleeping, wanting to play with him. My mom had to gently pull me away, saying we need to let Dad sleep.
Fast forward a couple years, and the next thing I remember is him being a K9 handler. My parents had gotten a dog, Rimshot, early in their marriage. When Dad became the K9 handler, we “adopted” Johnny, so we had two German Shepherds in the house.
As I watched Dad train Johnny or play with him in the backyard, I began to understand the meaning of man’s best friend. At a young age, I created a bond with my dogs and a love for animals that has extended into adulthood. I’ve taken an active role in training our family dog, Jax, since we got him in 2017. Big dogs, especially German Shepherds, get a bad rep, but I never saw them that way. That was thanks to my dad.
More importantly, my father and Johnny were a source of comfort for me as a child. It was at that age that I began to get nightmares and an active imagination. To help me sleep at night, I would listen to soothing music. The biggest comfort, though, was knowing that if there truly was a monster under my bed or a bad guy breaking into our house, my dad and Johnny were there to protect me. They wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt me.
I thought the world was a scary place then at four years old, but as I grew up, I began to understand the true sacrifice my dad made going to work every day.
In 2011, when I was in middle school, there was a bank robbery at First National Bank and Trust on the square. Because the school was in proximity to the bank, it went into lockdown. Rumors flew around the halls as kids were unaware of the reason. I didn’t learn the truth until I got home.
A trio of armed suspects stole from a business on the square then took the money to the bank. When the cops responded to the bank, one of the suspects fled in a high-speed chase. My dad was the lead car in that chase and witnessed the suspect’s vehicle flip multiple times after hitting spike strips. He exited his vehicle, gun in hand, to check on the condition of the perpetrator, who was killed in the crash.
A month ago when a Janesville man robbed the Dollar General in Orfordville and fled to Monroe, my dad was on shift. He, and the rest of the Green County Sheriff’s staff, were alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect, who was armed. In response, my dad traveled to the east side of town where the suspect would likely enter. Luckily my father — just over a month away from retirement at the time — did not come in direct contact with the suspect. I cried when I learned my dad was involved, even if only indirectly.
He’s also been in at least two scuffles I remember that have resulted in a trip to the ER.
As public perception of cops has shifted in the last decade or so, it’s important to realize that these men and women are human. They sacrifice their lives every day to protect the public. They have families to which they want to come home and who want them to come home safe, too.
My father’s career has not been all seriousness, though. He has also shared funny stories, like getting chased onto the hood of his squad by a heifer that just calved or getting tackled by a large farm dog that just wanted to give him kisses.
For the last couple of years, my dad has joked that he’s going to retire, but he’s always gone back. Honestly, the finality of his retirement hasn’t hit me yet — come Monday he’ll still lace up his boots, put on his badge and leave the house at 4:30 a.m. for another 12-hour shift, right?
Dad, thank you for your 31 years of service and sacrifice to the Green County Sheriff’s Department. You’ve been a role model to me all these years, and I’m very proud of everything you have done.
Love, Natalie
— Natalie Dillon is the sports editor of the Monroe Times and can be reached at 608-324-3617 or ndillon@themonroetimes.com.
