After nearly 50 years, Seattle cop still on patrol Arnold McGinnis started in 1962, plans to retire next month

Seattle Police Sergeant Major Arny McGinnis works on his computer while patrolling Rainier Avenue South on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. McGinnis, 74, said younger officers were helpful in helping him master his computer and many of the other devices used by a modern officer. McGinnis is retiring from the Seattle Police Department after working as a patrol officer for 50 years. He was recently given the title of Sergeant Major. less Seattle Police Sergeant Major Arny McGinnis works on his computer while patrolling Rainier Avenue South on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. McGinnis, 74, said younger officers were helpful in helping him master his ... more Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close After nearly 50 years, Seattle cop still on patrol 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Arnold McGinnis' first week with the Seattle Police Department went without ceremony. Barely 25, the Bellingham native had a three day orientation, then hit the streets with a veteran police officer.

On the sixth day, he patrolled a section of downtown Seattle alone.

Today, nearly 50 years later, McGinnis is still at it.

"I don't like being tied to a desk," he said, patrolling near Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street – the city's most dangerous intersection for gang activity.

McGinnis was offered detective jobs a few times, but turned each offer down because of that whole desk thing. Though guys 30 years his junior have become lieutenants, McGinnis never had a desire to take the test. Because he liked patrol so much, he put off studying for the required test to become a sergeant for three decades.

As the city celebrates the Seattle World's Fair a half century ago, McGinnis, who turns 75 next week, remembers being on patrol there with a starting salary of $430 a month.

Department officials can't recall anyone who has worked longer than McGinnis, who plans to retire next month with a career of 50 years and a day. And McGinnis says he "can't think of a finer bunch of people to spend time with."

"He's fit as a fiddle, spit-shined shoes and always works hard," said Capt. Neil Low, who worked with McGinnis as a lieutenant. "I'd tell young officers, 'You should look so good now, let alone with 35 to 40 years on.

"I still think he's what young officers should model themselves after."

On front lines during '60s riots

After graduating from Bellingham High School in 1955, McGinnis spent two years in the Marines and then another two years at what's now Western Washington University. A pitcher and second baseman, he helped lead the Vikings' baseball squad to the NAIA tournament in 1958.

McGinnis had talked to a military policeman friend about joining law enforcement after the Marines, and later applied with both Seattle police and the U.S. Border Patrol. He took the first offer from Seattle.

"We had to wait until we hired enough people to form an academy class," McGinnis recalled. "It was six and a half months before we had enough people to form an academy class."

When he started on patrol, he hadn't been out of Bellingham a week.

But he picked up quickly, working downtown and filling in occasionally on the World's Fair detail, which had 60 officers teamed with 90 civilian guards and a 16-man fire department.

Tasers were decades away, though McGinnis remembers how the sleeper hold – a move that causes unconsciousness by blocking carotid arteries – was effective against aggressive, dangerous suspects.

Officers at several departments were routinely taught to use the move until a jail guard applied the wrong hold and accidentally killed a man. Because of the potential liability, the department now tells officers to use that technique only in situations when deadly force is required.

Seattle had riots in the late 1960s and early 70s that make the recent May Day violence look mild, and McGinnis was assigned to the department's Tactical Squad, which focused on high crime areas.

He recalls the day at Seattle Central Community College where a fellow Tactical Squad member had his leg broken, another had a broken arm and at least four others got concussions. In May 1969, more than 30 people were arrested in demonstrations there and in Feb. 1970, 20 people were injured and 76 were arrested at the federal courthouse.

The following year, a King County grand jury indicted public officials in a payoff scandal.

One of McGinnis' better memories from that decade is being cast in the 1974 film "McQ," where John Wayne plays a Seattle cop. McGinnis, whose character was knocked out by bad guys at the Pacific Medical Center that later became Amazon's headquarters, recalled Wayne as an especially humble, "down to earth, friendly man."

McGinnis still get's royalty checks every few months, and puts them to use for greens fees at his favorite public golf courses.

'I'm really honored'

Under Chief Robert Hanson, McGinnis worked in the community relations office. City Councilman Tim Burgess, who also worked there as an officer, recalls McGinnis as "a good guy who was easy to work with."

McGinnis also was sent to the FBI Academy in 1972 as part of the department's Emergency Response Team – the team that became SWAT.

But it was patrol where McGinnis found his calling. He spent a decade at the South Precinct beginning in 1975, switched to the East Precinct for seven years then returned to South where he remains.

Though most officers carry a Glock, McGinnis is one of a handful who carries a .357 Magnum revolver.

He rarely fired his service weapon, though he and his partner fatally wounded a robbery suspect in August 1971 after the man lunged at the officers with a knife. An inquest jury unanimously decided McGinnis did not intend to kill the suspect, and decided both officers' actions were justified.

That scene at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street is still replayed in his head all the time, McGinnis said.

The good days, he said, "are any time you can do something for a child." McGinnis and his wife, Geri, have three grown kids of their own and are raising their 12-year-old granddaughter.

"That's a real joy to get a second shot at parenthood," said McGinnis, who doesn't seem a day over 64.

His most prized possession is the Tag Heuer wrist watch, given by fellow South Precinct officers as a gift for his 40th anniversary on the force.

"I really felt honored that everyone would contribute," he said. "Tag Heuer watches are not cheap - I certainly would never have bought one for myself. I've always been a Timex guy."

Rick Nelson, who spent two decades with McGinnis as his sergeant, was one who helped pay for it. The Chicago native's gift of gab kept gang members around Rainier and Henderson in check, and he is known as a professional, proactive officer who could be relied on, McGinnis said.

But last year, as Nelson had a personal struggle, there were tips that he'd been taking drugs seized as evidence. In January, Nelson was caught keeping cocaine during an undercover drug operation. He was relieved of his badge and service weapon, and driven home.

Learning that Nelson killed himself later that day was the saddest day of McGinnis' career, "and I really, really miss him."

Though McGinnis plans to stay in touch with the fellow officers after his retirement next month, coworkers say it won't be the same without McGinnis on patrol. To see how much they admire him, look at his sleeves.

One weekend when McGinnis was gone earlier this year, officers grabbed his uniform shirts from his locker and Captain Mike Nolan got approval from the department's top brass to promote McGinnis to sergeant major – the first in the department's history.

They surprised him with the promotion at a morning roll call.

"I'm really honored to have something like this stuck on me," he said. "They can't give you any more money, but what the heck – money isn't everything."

Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney.