On Friday September 2nd, the Laramie Police Department held a promotional ceremony for Officer Matt Leibovitz, alongside a retirement celebration for Chief Dale Stalder at which there was not a dry eye in the room.
Stalder performed his last promotion as Police Chief at this ceremony, promoting Detective Matt Leibovitz to Sergeant. “This will be tough for me to get through, this is a bittersweet promotion for me.” Stalder said to the crowd. “I really am honored to say that I have been able to promote every Sergeant in the Police Department right now.”
Leibovitz had previously served in the Division of Criminal Investigation for nine years as a Task Force Officer, and then most recently as a Detective in Investigations. The pinning portion of the ceremony was performed by Leibovitz’s 13-year-old son, Gabe, a touching father son moment.
In his promotion speech Leibovitz said, “When the Chief [Stalder] offered me this new job, I asked him to be the one who promoted me before he retired. I’m very fortunate that this occurred today…becoming a police officer was the best decision I ever made. I’m thankful for the opportunities I have been given here at LPD, I truly feel blessed. I would encourage all officers to pursue their dreams and aspirations before they try and promote. Investigations was mine and my years in Investigations is what made me who I am today.” Lieibovitz concluded his speech with, “It’s not about the stripes, it’s not about the money, it’s about the people.”
After the promotion ceremony, the Laramie Police Department recognized Chief Stalder’s 42 years, two months, and two days in the force.
Robert Terry, LPD Assistant Chief, led the retirement celebration. “The Laramie Police Department is the most progressive police department and has the best officers in the state. That is because of the leadership of Chief Stalder,” Assistant Chief Terry said to the crowd. “The men and women of the Laramie Police Department are willing to take this on, to finish what you [Stalder] have started. All I can say is; Chief, we’re going to take it from here.”
The officers then presented Chief Stalder with a multitude of gifts including a wooden blue line flag with the signatures of each officer on the back, a plaque recognizing Stalder’s years of service, Stalder’s retired LPD Chief badge, and a framed American Flag. The flag was flown on the day of Stalder’s retirement announcement, a tradition within the department.
The rest of the celebration consisted of those in attendance stepping up to the podium to recall sentimental stories about Stalder and thank him for his honorable service. The speakers included Janine Jordan the City Manager, Devin Stalder the son of the former Chief, Denise Deem the Secretary of the Laramie Police Department Foundation, and multiple LPD officers.
When asked after the ceremony about his legacy within the department, Stalder stated, “I never asked for a legacy, I just want the department to carry on as they did when I first got hired…I’ll be sad to leave all the people here, but I finally decided it was time to turn it over. I think we’re in a good place to do that right now, so I’m at peace.”