Interlachen chief honored for serving town since 1983
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Interlachen Mayor Ken Larsen, left, honors Interlachen Police Department Chief Larry Wilburn last week for his 40-year career with the town’s law enforcement agency.
The Interlachen Police Department chief doesn’t consider what he does for a living to be “work.”
Town officials recently honored Chief Larry Wilburn for his 40-year career with the police, but Wilburn said he never thought of his anniversary as a milestone. He’s just fortunate to do something he loves, the chief said Tuesday in an email.
His favorite part of being Interlachen’s police chief is interacting with the public and serving the community.
“I also like it when I give a person a chance to be an officer and see them grow into a
dedicated officer not only with this department but (with) other departments when they move on,” Wilburn stated.
He began working for the Interlachen Police Department on July 13, 1983, city officials said. Wilburn said he started as an officer but became chief in a year.
“I did not really want the position and it took me a while to decide I could make (a) difference as a chief,” he stated.
Wilburn reached out to the Palatka Police Department chief at the time, Jimmy Hill, and it was through his and other law enforcement officers’ guidance that he took the leap to become Interlachen’s chief.
“It was a learning experience for sure,” Wilburn added.
Wilburn moved to Florida in 1980, bouncing back and forth between Tennessee, where he was born, and St. Augustine, where he was raised.
Wilburn worked in construction before becoming a police officer, deciding construction wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He promised the then-Chief Jim Rye he would stay for one year.
“My goal was to go to a bigger department,” Wilburn said. “After I was here a year, I did not want to leave as I loved the area and decided to give my daughter some stability as to where she was going to grow up. It was a good decision and there are no regrets.”
Interlachen Mayor Ken Larsen has known the chief for the entire time Wilburn has lived in Interlachen, even before Wilburn joined the police department.
Larsen said Wilburn has always been his friend and a valued colleague, adding that Wilburn’s leadership as chief has been wonderful for the town.
“He’s somebody who was abreast of anything going on in the town,” Larsen said Tuesday. “There’s nothing that went by that man.”
The job has not always been easy, the 73-year-old chief said. One of the hardest situations the department faces is death investigations.
“Everyone has lost a loved one and there is nothing you can do or say to relieve that pain the family feels at that given moment,” Wilburn stated.
Over time, he said, he learned to put his feelings to the side and continue the job. The cases are never forgotten, Wilburn said, but support from the community helps lift his spirits.
“The positive things that people will say to you keeps you going,” Wilburn stated. “You can feel really down and some simple remark from someone will brighten your day and motivate you to keep going because you know you have had an impact on someone else’s life.”
Wilburn advised anyone who wants a career in law enforcement to give the decision serious thought because it’s not for everyone. Law enforcement officers must be willing to work long hours and weekends, miss family events and deal with people who have no respect for them, he said.
Somehow, Wilburn said, he knew a career in law enforcement was his calling.
“You can not save the world so don’t try,” Wilburn stated. “However, you can make a difference in people’s lives if you try and the rewards will come to you in the form of self-satisfaction.”
“Treat all people the same way you want to be treated. The only way to get respect is to earn it. You can’t buy it or command it and you are only as good as your word. If you can make a difference in any person’s life, you have done your job.”
