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KERNERSVILLE — At the entrance of the Kernersville Police Department is a statue of a smiling boy holding the hand of a police officer. Inscribed on that statue is a phrase Chief Grady “Neal” Stockton coined 15 years ago:

“To wear the badge is a choice. To serve the public is an honor.”

That’s the motto for the police department, and for this small-town chief, that motto has been a way of life.

But in September, the man known for his dedication to his community and a keen eye for the needs of his officers will remove the golden shield pinned above his left breast pocket and settle into retirement.

Retirement will mark the end of a long career for Neal Stockton — 33 years with the department.

For the Stockton name, it will conclude more than 60 years of service to the community. In 1948, his father — Grady H. Stockton — joined the force as one of only two officers in town.

Twenty years later, in 1968, the veteran lawman became police chief. A heart attack sidelined the elder Stockton in 1984, and the mayor and town manager looked for his replacement.

They didn’t have to go far. They turned to his son, who at the time was a 28-year-old patrol supervisor, and asked him to step into the chief’s job.

“I selfishly didn’t want to take the job,” Stockton said. “(But) I thought a lot about it and about the honor of being able to follow in my father’s footsteps in that way and be a man like he was.”

Stockton said his dad served as the strong arm of the law in a time well before the technology used by modern police officers.

“He didn’t have a police car. The family car was the police car,” he said. “He had to buy his own handgun.

“He didn’t have a radio,’’ Stockton said.

“They had a water tower with a red light on top of it (that signaled a dispatch). There was a call box on a telephone pole on Main Street. When that red light came on, it would signal the officer to take a call at that call box that rang into the police station.”

When an officer took care of a bar fight or a domestic situation, it was a case of “the bigger man wins” because the officer didn’t have the equipment to call for backup.

“What I wanted to do more than anything (as police chief) was to bridge the gap between future generations of law enforcement, so they would have better equipment, opportunities and training than my dad had,” Stockton said.

“I wanted to bridge that gap and carry along that spirit to the new generation of law enforcement.”

In Neal Stockton’s time as chief, the department has grown from 22 employees to 87. His officers have state-of-the-art equipment and the latest training.

But that wasn’t the only reason he took the job — he grew up watching his father’s personal touch with the community. Whether what was needed was some simple advice, wood to heat someone’s home or just some spare change, Stockton said his dad always tried to do the right thing.

“Police officers never made a lot of money, but he was never selfish to the point where he didn’t try to give and help out,” Stockton said.

“(Through him) I learned the commitment and dedication to serve.”
The chief is well-liked and will be missed, said Mayor Dawn Morgan.

“No problem is too small to get his concern,” Morgan said. “He has been important to the town of Kernersville and he cares deeply for the citizens. He’s always looked out for the innocent — it’s part of his character and the commitment he brings to the force.”

Stockton said announcing his retirement before the town’s Board of Aldermen last week was a “bittersweet” moment, adding he wanted to leave while in good health and capable of enjoying the years ahead.

“I’m very much at peace with the decision I’ve made,” Stockton said. “I just want to have some time to be able to enjoy the simple things in life.”

His retirement comes 10 years after his father’s death, but the chief thinks he made his dad proud.

I hope he would say “good job and ... it’s about time.”

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com