Hats off to Jim Marquardt.

This month, Marquardt celebrates his 50th year in law enforcement, which by anyone’s standards is a milestone worth celebrating.

As reporter Steve Schulwitz noted in a story Wednesday, 50 years in any job is an achievement, but to do so in a demanding field like law enforcement is extremely rare.

“In my opinion, you may never see this again, or rarely, in the law enforcement profession, in that uniform,” said Tim Marquardt, who is Jim’s son. “I know I certainly won’t last that long. Lasting 50 years would be really tough to do.”

We believe what makes Jim’s story all the better is that his son followed his footsteps into law enforcement and, particularly, the DARE program. In fact, the two have worked together for many years as DARE officers in Alpena County.

While Jim will be leaving the DARE program this year, he plans to continue working and will be assigned as a bailiff in the courts.

Jim Marquardt is a class act and a credit to his profession. We salute his service and wish him well.

Every day he puts on the uniform, our community is better because of him and his dedication to his profession.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)