Though he always did his police work in a part-time capacity, you could say that Rick Plath made a full-time impact.

Officer Plath recently worked his final shift for the Oakdale Police Department, retiring after almost 10 years with the department, all on a part-time basis.

“The great thing about working in a smaller community is all the outreach programs we can do,” Plath said. “It’s just bridging that gap between basically, us and them, the cops and the citizens.”

Plath also worked previously –in a part-time capacity – for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department and has always been on patrol. Meanwhile, he has also been self-employed, running a swimming pool business for 40 years. But with a father who spent 30 years in law enforcement, he said he felt drawn to the work.

It was when he was about 12 years old, he said, and made his mother mad “about something” that she told him he would be going to work that night with his dad, who worked graveyard at the time for the Stockton Police Department.

Plath remembers actually falling asleep at one point when they were on patrol because not much was happening, but he was awakened when his dad came across a building on fire and they jumped into action, setting out flares and securing the scene.

“After that we started doing calls, getting involved with calls and I was wide awake the rest of the night,” Plath explained, adding the he continued to go out both with his dad and some other officers on occasion. “That’s really why I got into law enforcement.”

He took a break for a bit after leaving the San Joaquin County job, but missed it too much, and when he learned Oakdale was looking for an officer, he jumped at the chance to get back into law enforcement.

“Making an impact is really what has been one of the best things that I have fond memories of,” he shared, noting that being out in the community and working to earn the trust and respect of citizens is something that was important to him.

He also brought a new idea to the department, following a trip to Disneyland, where he saw people dressed with old-fashioned Christmas lights as necklaces and with Mickey Mouse ears on a Santa hat. Wearing a similar outfit, in addition to his uniform, he approached then-Chief Scott Heller with a proposal to be ‘Santa Cop’ and provide candy canes and small gifts to kids.

He said Chief Heller allowed him to do it, but made sure that any traffic stop made was legitimate, with the ability to then gift a youngster who may have been in the vehicle. Plath initially purchased items at Kmart in Oakdale.

“It just took off,” he said. “Then we started doing drop-ins at restaurants, parks, in between calls, we would go. It got really big and people started making donations. You could see the community come together and that was great.”

It took on the name Operation Santa Cop and he said several officers, city officials and community residents were supportive.

“I was the guy in the outfit with the lights but I had a lot of elves helping me, for sure,” Plath explained.

Other programs through the years he was involved with included back to school drives, Blue Santa, where the department teamed up with the local schools to help get holiday gift to local children in need, and more.

Along with those initiatives, Plath also dealt with his share of tough calls, as all officers do, but said the support and camaraderie of the OPD team was key, as they often helped get each other through those hard times.

He also commended the efforts of officers on a daily basis, indicating that the community-oriented policing model utilized in Oakdale is one that he feels helps develop a better relationship between the officers and the citizens they serve.

Outside of police work, he and his wife are also health coaches and, because they enjoy traveling, became travel agents.

The Plaths have four grown children and five grandchildren.

They do plan to travel and Plath also said he enjoyed a send off at a gathering in Oakdale a few days following his final shift with the department.

“I want to enjoy the retirement life,” Plath explained. “I don’t want to say never (about returning to police work) but as of now that’s not the plan. But I can’t say never.”