Captain David Cole has served Dickson County for twenty-seven years. On Wednesday afternoon, he had his last hurrah with the city of Dickson Police Department to celebrate his retirement.
Although people know Captain Cole for his work with the Dickson Police Department, many don’t know that his career would have been a lot different if he didn’t fail a test a few weeks before.
His wife, Margaret Cummings Cole, told the story of how David’s path to the Dickson Police Department began.
“David’s goal in life as a little boy was to be a police officer and when he got out of the Navy he thought it was going to be a firefighter, but the Lord intervened and he did not pass his physical agility test for the fire department because he had a severe sinus infection.
The next week he went and did the physical agility test for the police department and passed it with flying colors. So I truly believe the Lord prepared that for him and the last twenty-seven years has been such a great opportunity for me to see him making such an impact in the community and when he would come home at night, I made sure that the house was a safe, calm place for him.
So that’s how I see David in the last twenty-seven years as just being a giant.”
When speaking of Captain Cole being a giant in his wife’s life, he has also been a giant in the Dickson community.
On top of being a United States Navy Veteran, Captain Cole leaves a lasting impact on the Dickson Police Department. Throughout his twenty-seven years, he has held several different positions.
Captain Cole was first hired by Chief Rick Chandler (retired) as a Patrolman before being promoted in several different capacities and ending his career by being promoted by Chief Jeff Lewis as a Police Captain.
Each position earned Captain Cole a new ranking, new responsibilities, and new challenges. However, his commitment to bettering Dickson County never wavered.
This dedication of one man leading and serving his community daily not only impacted his colleagues, citizens, and friends, but also his daughter Brooke.
When asked about her father’s career with the Dickson Police Department, Brooke teared up stating,
“My dad and I are very, very close. My dad is my best friend. [I’m] Just incredibly blessed to end up with both parents that I have. Growing up having a mom who worked at a pregnancy center and dad that’s a police officer was a little bit challenging as far as being a teenager growing up, but I can say confidently that they gave me the best life that I could ask for and [I’m] incredibly proud to be his daughter.”
Although Captain Cole is officially retired from the Dickson Police Department, he has stated that he will remain in the heart of the Dickson community. In a Facebook post he stated, “I will still be involved with the Drug Free Dickson Coalition; Leadership Dickson County; Hunter Education and the Dickson Police Academy Alumni Association.”
Alas, when asked what he would like to say to the Dickson Community, he summed it up beautifully by simply saying, “love y’all”, leaving a giant-sized legacy at the Dickson Police Department and in the community.
