Bangor, Maine — Sgt. John Robinson, a longtime member of the Bangor Police Department, retired this week. In a message from Lt. Tim Cotton, (Ret.), Cotton said Sgt. James Owens came out of retirement to give Robinson’s last radio call a nostalgic twist that “meant the world to him.” Cotton noted that Robinson kept in touch with Owens because Robinson loved working for him, and that many others felt the same.

Cotton described Owens as “legendary for the way he looked out for his officers.” He said Owens “could move from angry to smirking with the judicious application of a simple vanilla cone from Dairy Queen,” and that Owens would smirk at officers when he walked out of the building carrying sports scores in newspaper form along with a plastic coffee mug at the end of the shift.

According to Cotton, young officers viewed older ones as heroes, though he said they were often there for the older officers’ entertainment and to pass along knowledge. Cotton wrote that John emulated Owens, though he was “probably kinder in his approach,” and that John put his own twist on what he learned.

Cotton recalled a conversation from when Sgt. Robinson was a Patrolman Robinson. He described a discussion with Owens about Robinson’s past experiences, noting Owens had served in Vietnam. Cotton said Johnny asked Owens if he’d gone there for a vacation, and that the exchange was “colorful” and funny even years later.

Robinson worked as a detective and was a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team. Cotton highlighted Robinson’s kindness to everyone, saying it stood out even if it was sometimes perceived as politeness. Cotton said Robinson was “nice—nice to a fault, some might say, but it worked well for him.”

Cotton wrote that Robinson was among the few officers who would take latecomers and give them a tour of the Bangor Police Museum, and that he knew the story of how the Duck of Justice came to be. He noted Robinson’s tours included families from Australia, Canada, and Hermon, Maine, and that he heard from people who regaled his kindness and the stories they heard during those tours.

Cotton acknowledged there are internal detractors of the Duck, but he said the display brought people to the department who might not have visited otherwise. He added that the department avoided “stupid cop-dance-off contests,” and that Sgt. Robinson “cannot dance.”

During downtimes, Robinson reportedly enjoyed meeting people from away and appreciated the break from daily police work. Cotton wrote that Robinson had a genuine love for the job and the community, and that he was “trustworthy, hard-working, and kind.”

In closing, Cotton offered his congratulations: “Congrats, Johnny. I’ll see you at breakfast with the boys in a couple of weeks”—a line he joked about as their retiree “Breakfast for Schmucks.” Cotton signed the message, “LT(Ret.) Tim Cotton, Bangor Police Department.”

The piece ends with a note mentioning Sgt. Robinson’s association with his preferred supervisor, Sgt. James Owens (ret.).