Hill County sheriff's deputies Reichelt, Dwyer retire

Friends, family and fellow law men and women celebrated Hill County Sheriff's deputies Dottie Dwyer and Monte Reichelt's 65 combined years of law enforcement service Monday afternoon in the Hill County Detention building courtroom.

Reichelt, 61, with a barely a hint of gray, served 40 years in law enforcement, 39 of them in Hill County. Dwyer, age not asked, served 25 years in law enforcement. Both deputies were all smiles as they shook hands, greeted and talked to people in a room where standing was the only option left for those who arrived late.

Dwyer's retirement plans include relaxing, life-guarding and riding horses. Havre Daily News will be doing a feature on Dwyer shortly.

Reichelt's plans are not as involved as his colleague's. He plans on "taking it easy," he said.

Dwyer and Reichelt were presented with shadow boxes, or memory boxes, once the commotion settled down and the cake was cut.

Reichelt's shadow box included his first and second six-point star badges, as well as his final, a gold pen that belonged to his father, two patches the officer wore at different points in his long career, a patch he got from the academy in Bozeman and a bulky, unconventional key that looks like the key to a secret room. The key opened Hill County Detention Center cells when the jail had actual cells, decades ago.

Dwyer likes to remind people that when Reichelt started, the police log was kept on paper, a friendly jab at his age.

Reichelt said law service in Havre was challenging enough to "keep your skills up," but not bad enough to "get overrun." He didn't remember ever reconsidering being a lawman. Not even when he had some "close calls."

How many close calls had Reichelt had?

"Tons," he said, smirking.

Does he believe in guardian angels?

Chuckling, Reichelt said he figured he had a couple of guardian angels.