Master Sgt. Dale Peterson recently celebrated his 23rd year of service with the Plant City Police Department. Though he’s found his calling both as a military veteran and a law enforcement officer, the Michigan native didn’t always know his career would center around a call to protect and serve. With the United States Air Force, he wanted to work with computers or in the chapel. What he was assigned to was something much different.
After graduating from Brandon High School, Peterson made the decision to join the U.S. Air Force. MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, frequently flew F-16 aircrafts over his parents’ home in Brandon. He wasn’t interested in becoming a pilot, but the fighter aircrafts sparked an interest to join the military.
“I felt the urge to serve the country,” Peterson said. “But I didn’t like boats, and I didn’t want to play in the dirt. I liked the concept of the Air Force.”
Once he enlisted, Peterson was told there were high chances he would get one of his top three job choice assignments, which included computer jobs and working in the chapel.
But he didn’t get any of those choices. Instead, he was selected for security police, responsible for watching the base gates and guarding planes.
“I tried to get transferred,” Peterson said. “But the only other job opening was for a cook. I never even thought about being a law enforcement officer before I went in the Air Force.”
Military Man
During his first year in the Air Force, in 1988, Peterson attended the Air Force Police Academy in San Antonio, Texas. He did infantry training in New Jersey before serving at a duty station in Omaha, Nebraska. He then received a humanitarian assignment at MacDill Air Force Base after his father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
He served at MacDill from 1990 to 1992, frequently taking on law enforcement duties and interacting with
civilians who came on the base.
After coming back to the Tampa Bay area, Peterson met his wife, Lori. The couple has been married for 26 years and have two children, 22-year-old T.J. and 19-year-old Cole. His family has been his biggest support system through both his military and law enforcement career, including his time working at MacDill.
“I had gate duties and did patrolling,” Peterson said. “That was during Desert Storm. It was more heightened security back then.”
Peterson worked the midnight shifts at MacDill. His very first shift was spent guarding the home of U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and his family.
His time spent on the base dealing with civilians and meeting people from all around the world eventually led Peterson to pursue a law enforcement career once he finished his fourth year in the Air Force.
After being honorably discharged in June 1992, he worked for his in-laws at the Tampa-based True-Grit Abrasives while he put himself through the police academy. He attended the supplemental evening academy based out of Pasco-Hernando at night while working during the day.
After applying to both the Tampa Police Department and the Plant City Police Department, Peterson accepted a job with PCPD and began training in July 1993. Though he was later offered a job with the Tampa Police Department after a hiring hold, PCPD had requested he stay at least two years — a promise he fulfilled and has long since surpassed.
On the Force
After his first two years with the Plant City Police Department were completed, Peterson was offered a position as a detective. Though he had considered transferring to a different police department, he decided to stay.
From 1995 to 1998, he served as a detective covering general crimes, thefts and vandalism and was later assigned to auto thefts and vehicle burglaries. He additionally worked two homicide cases, eventually solving one.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “At first I didn’t know if I wanted to be a detective, because at the time I hadn’t been here long. I didn’t think I was ready, but you can’t turn it down when it’s offered to you. It might not be offered again. It helped me in the long term of my career, knowing now as a supervisor what information is needed to help out detectives with the follow-up for their investigations.”
When he wasn’t working, he was learning. Peterson spent his off time working with K-9 Officer Bryan Miller. Miller was responsible for helping to start the K-9 division at PCPD, something Peterson quickly took an interest in.
“When (Miller) had his police dog, I would spend a lot of my off time training with him,” Peterson said. “(There’s) just something you just love about it. It was something I wanted to do. Sacrificing my time for something I wanted is what helped me earn that spot.”
Peterson landed his dream gig in 1998 and got his four-legged partner: Tarco.
“I had to go to Indiana to train with him for three weeks,” Peterson said. “A lot of it was patience and dealing with adversity. Even though dogs have superior sense and skills, they still have that Alpha dominance.”
It was a learning experience for Peterson too. He and Tarco learned to trust one another.
“It was about trust,” he said. “Trusting that I know he would give his life for me without hesitation and would protect me if we got to that situation.”
In 2002, Tarco retired and stayed home with Peterson’s family when Peterson was promoted to sergeant. He started out as a patrol officer, in charge of one of the patrol squads for the midnight shift. He also served over traffic units and street crimes until taking over as the administrative sergeant in 2010. He remains the supervisor of the department’s K-9 unit.
One month ago, Peterson was promoted to master sergeant. His duties have expanded, but he’s still helping Plant City run smoothly from behind the scenes. Since 2011, he’s overseen a number of special events from a law enforcement side in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, including the Florida Strawberry Festival Youth Parade, the organization of the festival’s Grand Parade, the Black Heritage Parade and the Christmas Parade. Additionally, he serves on the Juvenile Justice Committee Board for Hillsborough County.
“Law enforcement is not a job,” Peterson said. “It’s a career. You have to have a desire to serve. That’s the common denominator that drives everybody. It’s not just a job, it’s part of your life.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.