DARLINGTON- Darlington Chief of Police Jason King, resigned from his last day on duty on Friday, Dec. 29. King, a 1993 graduate of Darlington High School has lived and worked in Darlington for all of his life. As we spoke on Friday, community members phoned, and stopped by the Darlington Municipal building congratulating and thanking the Chief for his 30 years of service to the community. It was a bustle of attention King didn’t expect to receive. The number-one question on everyone’s mind was his reason for leaving his post as the Chief of Police. King responded kindly. “Simply put, it’s time for a change. Three decades is a long time. Research shows the average American holds 12 jobs in that length of time. I have held one. I have proudly sacrificed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears serving Darlington my entire adult life as a police officer and EMT and am ready to pass the torch on to a new leader. I am looking forward to what I believe will be a less demanding and less stressful job that will make it possible to spend more time with family and friends.”
King, who started training with the Darlington Police Department (DPD) in the fall of 1993, was only 18 years old, and a Police Science student at Madison Area Technical College (MATC). “My first patrol shift was April 1, 1994. I was the recipient of a federal work-study grant at the time, which gave me the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while attending college.”
King graduated from MATC with an associate degree in Police Science in May of 1995. While at MATC, he developed a passion for learning and decided to further his education at Mount Senario College in Madison. King acquired his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in May of 1997. Chief King’s passion for learning best practices in policing never waned. “I acquired thousands of hours of specialized training during my 30 years at DPD and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from UW-Platteville,” King stated.
The idea of becoming a police officer came early on in King’s life. “I decided I wanted to be a police officer when I was in first grade. I was a student at Willow Springs school and recall a sheriff’s deputy visiting to tell us about his job and show us his squad car. I found it fascinating and became hooked on the idea of one day becoming a police officer. A lot of young children say they want to be a police officer or firefighter when they grow up, but few ever do. For me, though, I was determined to make it happen.”
Chief King has felt the support of the Darlington community throughout the years, however the support of family has meant everything to him. “My parents were always supportive of the idea and never discouraged me. I was a police officer already by the time I met my wife, Tammy, so she didn’t have much choice in the matter. She and our three children have been a constant source of love and support for me. It’s not always easy being the family member of a police officer, but they made it look easy. I am blessed.”
King will move on to other employment that serves neighboring communities. When asked where he would be working next, he replied, “SSM Health. I will be supervising security services at the Monroe Hospital and all of its clinics in Green and Jo Daviess Counties.” King will miss helping the people of Darlington, during their time of need. “I have bore witness to a lot of pain and suffering in my hometown over these past three decades. Helping ease the pain in whatever way possible has been a humbling and gratifying experience.” King will continue to serve as a volunteer EMT, as a volunteer at the Darlington American Legion, and will serve actively in his church community, whenever possible.
A lot of people have asked him through the years why he would choose to police his hometown instead of moving on to an unfamiliar community, as most people going into the profession of policework do. “I acknowledge it has come with its unique challenges; however, at the end of the day, what we do in policing is mostly community service – helping people. I can’t think of any place I’d rather do that than my hometown.”
