I met William Freeman back in 1986 when, after about 15 years in Chesapeake law enforcement, I became a state probation and parole officer in Suffolk.

At that time, Chief Freeman was Lieutenant Freeman, in charge of vice and narcotics detectives in the Suffolk Police Department.

It was just as obvious then as it was throughout his career that he had the heart of a cop. He was a caring police officer and supervisor who had the ability to see both sides of an issue, while carrying out his duties.

I was proud of Suffolk — and Freeman — when the city promoted him to Chief of Police. Over the years, I heard from many of his officers what a good chief he was. That never surprised me — like I said, he had the heart of a cop.

My congratulations to Chief William Freeman on his retirement and on his honorable career of service to the citizens of Suffolk.