WALLY

April 6. Cornelius Police Lt. Myron “Bubba” Wally is retiring from the Cornelius Police Department after 24 years of service. He is a beloved figure in police-community work, having served at the departments DARE officer at Cornelius Elementary. His career with the town began in 1992 in the Electrical Dept., back when the Town maintained its own electrical system.  Bubba served in this area for several years until one day, then Police Chief Charlie Vanhoy, approached him and encouraged him to become a Police Officer.  Bubba graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, and was sworn in as a part-time police officer with the Town of Cornelius.

He became a full-time officer in 1995, and began patrolling the streets of Cornelius. While in this capacity he was the first Cornelius officer to receive training in Community Policing and became the department’s first Community Police Officer.

In 1996, Bubba was selected to become the department’s DARE officer and began working with the students at Cornelius Elementary, educating them about the dangers of drugs.  Bubba’s growth in his career continued as he attained Master Police Officer status in 2000 and would earn an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 2001. In May of 2003, he was promoted to Sergeant and continued serving as the DARE officer and Community Police Officer.  In June of 2005, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and over the next 11 plus years, he served throughout the department including Support Services, Patrol, CALEA Accreditation Manager and Communications/911 Center Supervisor.

He also served on many local and regional committees and advisory boards including the Juvenile Justice Reform Committee, Juvenile Dropout Prevention Committee, Safe Schools of Mecklenburg County, Mecklenburg County Drug Abuse Prevention Board, Local All Hazards Committee, McGuire Safety Task Force, Regional Radio Communications Advisory Committee and the Governor’s Community Crime Prevention Program.