GARRY D. MCCRARY
Chief of Police of New Boston, Texas
Garry D. McCrary, Chief of Police of New Boston, Texas, always wanted to be in law enforcement and the military. He joined the United States Marine Corps and retired from the service in the early nineties. “One of my greatest struggles was adapting from military life to one of an ordinary civilian. In the military, you were expected to perform a job using the least amount of time and do the job to the best of your ability, but it seemed that in civilian life, things were a little more laid back. Forcing someone to perform to your satisfaction was out of the question,” Garry says. “I had to learn how to use more tact, persuasion, and leading by example to accomplish certain tasks.”
Soon after returning from the military, Garry was approached by the Chief of Police of DeKalb, Texas. “He told me about a friend of his that was hiring jailers for the newly constructed Bowie County Correctional Center. I was interviewed and got the job,” Garry says. “I thought that the job would get me as close to a law enforcement job as I would ever get.”
Everyone who got the job as a jailer was taken to the Southwest Center in Texarkana to participate in various types of training, and at the end of one week, they were certified. “I guess from my military experience, I was promoted to the rank of Corporal, a supervisory position,” Garry says. “After approximately six months, I was approached by former Sheriff Mary Choate, and she asked if I would like to become a Bowie County Deputy.”
The sheriff’s office sent Garry to Kilgore, Texas, for the police academy. After completing the academy, he began working as a Bowie County Deputy, and Garry learned a lot from the position. “The person I look up to is Sheriff Mary Choate because she was such a great organizer; she knew just how to make things work,” Garry says. “She was largely responsible for the building of the Bowie County Correctional Center. During the nineties, the Correctional Center brought millions of dollars to the county and employed hundreds of individuals.”
When he retired from the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office, he was hired by the New Boston Police Department. “The most memorable moments of my career is when the city council members of New Boston voted for me to be the Chief of Police; it was an honor that I never imagined,” Garry says. “I am very proud to serve the citizens and the city of New Boston. Honestly, it was a great honor just to fulfill my dream of becoming a police officer. I never in my wildest dream thought that I would ever become a police chief.”
Garry feels that the most important thing about being a police officer is meeting the needs of the people that they serve. “Being a police officer is a 24-hour job all day every day regardless of weather or any natural or unnatural disaster you can think of. If you look around, there will be a police officer on duty protecting and serving their community, city, or state,” Garry says. “I am inspired every day working with the New Boston Police Department officers. They are a great group of people, and together, we form a team that is more like a family unit.”
Garry enjoys spending his free time reading or hunting when he is not working. “I am a Louis L’amour fan, and I think that I have read every western novel that he has ever written,” Garry says. “Also, my father bought me a 410 shotgun (my first gun) when I was 9-years-old, and he taught me how to hunt deer and squirrels. I never really enjoyed deer hunting, but I loved squirrel hunting and still do it today.”
Garry’s long-term goal centers around changing the negative perception of law enforcement in today’s society. He wants to build back the trust and respect between law enforcement and the great people of New Boston. “I plan to accomplish this by abiding by the same laws that we enforce,” Garry says. “No one is above the law.”
Garry also wants to leave his office in a much better place than he received it. “I want better equipment, better uniforms, and more schooling for officers so they can better interact with the public,” Garry says. “I want to be remembered as treating everyone firmly, fairly, and with dignity, and to let everyone know that we are here working for them. I want to be remembered as a person that people feel comfortable coming to with any problem that is bothering them, and together we can come to a solution to solve it by all lawful means available.”