A keen eye for history
Ben Godar
With Lt. Bruce Speirs taking over supervision of the Burbank Animal
Shelter, Sgt. Will Berry now becomes the voice of the Burbank Police.
Berry, a 30-year veteran, hopes to use his new position to help
the public gain a better understanding of how the department
operates.
“A lot of the reason there is suspicion of police is because
people don’t understand why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he said.
In his new position as public information officer, Berry will be
responsible for relaying information from detectives regarding
investigations and speaking to the media on behalf of the department.
Berry started with the Burbank Police as a cadet in 1972 before
officially joining the force the following year. He was promoted to
sergeant in 1987, and has worked in crime prevention and on the
juvenile detail between stints in the patrol bureau.
Speirs said Berry has probably worked with everyone in the
department at one time, and that breadth of experience will serve him
well while operating as the department’s spokesman.
“He has a real good feel for how our patrol and investigative
operations function as an integrated effort,” Speirs said.
In addition to the various details he’s worked, Berry is the
department’s historian and curator of the police museum. Many of the
displays in the museum came from his own collection, as did a display
featuring the patches of every police department in California. While
that display is impressive, it is only a small part of his total
collection of about 30,000 law enforcement patches.
The 51-year-old police veteran’s hobbies also extend beyond law
enforcement to cooking. He and his wife recently won the grand prize
at the Albuquerque Fiery Foods Festival for their hot sauce.
While he is looking forward to gaining a better understanding of
the department from an administrative level, Berry said he would miss
working patrol. About two weeks ago, he said he slightly injured his
wrist while fighting to apprehend a forgery suspect.
“I’ve been on the force for 30 years and I still enjoy getting out
in the street,” he said.