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| Born July 5th, 1929 into a family
richly entrenched in Law Enforcement, Henry A. Wheeler Sr., followed in
his father Clifford's footsteps as a local officer in Berlin, while his
brother Clifford Herbert became a Massachusetts State Police Trooper. When he started as a Patrolman in 1952, the small town of Berlin's Police Department was an all-volunteer, part-time force. He was appointed Sergeant in 1964 and upon his Dad's Retirement, April 30, 1965 he became Chief. The town bought its first cruiser in 1967, and at the same time, Henry was appointed the first full-time Chief in the history of Berlin. He was able to hire his first patrolman in 1970 and added another in 1971 and yet a third in 1984. Through the years, in addition to the Police force, he was a volunteer Fireman, on the Rescue Squad, a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). Just prior to becoming Chief, he was a Selectman for five years. He was also on the Municipal Building Commission, a Deputy Tax Collector and the Constable. While serving as Chief, he returned to school and holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. His greatest sense of accomplishment is to have past "offenders" come back years later to tell him how he influenced their lives and helped them to straighten out. After 40 years of service, 27 as Chief, he and his wife Ruth are now retired, and living on their 22 acre farm (the same fare he was raised on), raising beef cows. They travel for pleasure and he also fishes and hunts for fun. With six grown children and ten grandchildren, he stays very busy. |
