Honoring Hornby

Memorial funds used to purchase new bench at BPD

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BROOKINGS – The late Jim Hornby dedicated 31 years of his life to the Brookings Police Department. To commemorate his service and honor his memory, a wooden bench now sits in the department lobby.

The bench has a plaque that reads “In Memory of Captain James Hornby 1970-2001,” which were his years of service. It is a small plaque to encompass everything that Hornby did both in and out of uniform.

He was working for South Dakota State University when he had a chance encounter with Gordon Miller, the assistant police chief back then.

“We came down for Crazy Days,” said Doris Hornby, Jim’s wife. “We saw Gordon and we stopped to talk to him. In the midst of the conversation, Gordon says to Jim, ‘Have you ever thought about being a police officer?’ Jim (said), ‘Not really.’ (Gordon) just said, ‘Why don’t you come in? I think you’d make a very good officer.’”

Doris said Jim just filled out some paperwork, and it wasn’t a long process.

She had no doubts.

“I thought it was wonderful. I felt when Gordon asked him that question he would be one of the best police officers ever,” Doris said.

Jim helped start the SWAT (now SRT) team, was instrumental with the reserves, and was a fire instructor, “besides being certified in all sorts of things,” said Doris.

Jim retired as a patrol captain.

He was very involved with Special Olympics, serving on the state board, and bringing the Torch Run to Brookings, former police chief Jeff Miller said. He campaigned statewide for the seatbelt law and for helmet enforcement, Doris said. He was instrumental in starting the Safety Town and DARE programs.

Jim quickly moved up the ranks, said newly retired Lt. Mark Stratton, who worked with him.

“He was really involved in the department and the community,” Stratton said.

“He took the time to go in and talk to the business owners, stuck out his hand and said, ‘I’m Officer Jim Hornby,’” said Doris. “I just think he loved the job. He was a people person.”

He was tough but understanding, say those who knew him best.

“People knew him statewide and respected him,” Stratton said.

“Jim had a very commanding presence. You knew who was in charge, but you also had confidence in the decisions that he made for the shift or the staff,” Jeff Miller said. “Jim was very passionate with everything that he did. … He was a tough but fair leader … but there was really a soft side to him that people didn’t see and that was with Special Olympics. … It made him a better officer and it made him a better person.”

Doris says she still hears good stories about him, even from people Jim arrested about how well he treated them. “‘He gave me a ride home,’ that type of thing. ‘Told me, now you stay home; if I see you out again, it will be a different story.’ People liked him.”

After more than three decades, Jim decided to leave the job he loved.

Daughter Sarah Keizer said he was busier after he retired than he was working full time.

“He stayed busy with everything he was ever interested in before,” added Doris, including Special Olympics and Rolling Thunder.

“Approximately two weeks after he retired, Ron Eggen calls him from the Parks Department and says, ‘Jim, are you tired of retirement yet? I need a mower three days a week. Would you be interested in it?’ That’s how he got hired for that. That next Monday, he went and started mowing,” Doris said.

Jim kept busy until Dec. 29, 2013.

“He had a heart attack and passed away in church on Sunday morning,” Doris said with a catch in her voice.

Jim was 66.

“Such a great loss to have lost that character and that personality within our town,” Jeff Miller said. “Many times as the chief I wished I could have had him, as a resource, to go to.”

Memorials were forwarded to the South Dakota Special Olympics “to be used for something special,” Doris said. There’s an annual poker run in August with the money going to the state Special Olympics office for a memorial for Jim.

But Jim’s brother, Roger, wanted something more. He donated some money and discussed with Jeff Miller various ways they could memorialize Jim’s service at the police station.

“I just didn’t want to put up a plaque. I wanted something else,” Jeff Miller said.

“We thought about it quite a while,” Stratton said.

One of the dispatchers pointed out the station closes for regular business at 5 p.m., but the public can still enter the front door to talk to an officer.

“You can get into that inside area, but you can’t get any farther into the hallway,” Jeff Miller said. “There’s nothing other than steps going downstairs for you to sit and wait.”

“And that’s where we said, hey, let’s take that memorial money and buy the bench,” Stratton said. “We ordered it; searched online until we found one that fit the need.”

There’s still some money left from Roger’s donation, but no one’s in a hurry to spend it.

“We’re just kind of waiting to see if there’s a need somewhere that we think will be appropriate for it,” Stratton said.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.