Elkhorn Police Detective Tom Bushey retires
By Heather Ruenz
SLN staff
After 40 years on the job in what he considers a successful career with more than 5,000 arrests, Detective Tom Bushey took off his badge for the final time on Friday.
“Most officers want to help people at the beginning. I’m still that way – I don’t want people getting away with things,” Bushey said in a recent interview.
He began his career with the Elkhorn Police Department in 1978 as a patrol officer. In 1983, he was promoted to sergeant on third shift, a position he held for 14 years. From 1992-97, he also was part of a multijurisdictional drug unit, moving his way up to second in charge of that unit. In 2001, he was promoted to detective.
“That was my way of getting on days because I started on second shift and eventually moved to first,” Bushey said.
As a detective, he said he’s worked everything from bad checks and reckless homicides – when someone gives someone else bad drugs and causes their death — to burglaries, ID theft, sexual assault and cases involving child pornography.
“The toughest ones are child sexual assault because it’s stressful. We work with the Walworth County Child Advocacy Center. They interview the kids and I deal with the person accused,” Bushey said.
However, those cases can also be gratifying.
“I got this for believing her after her stepdad was arrested,” Bushey said as he revealed a large, homemade card a young girl made for him.
Read more of what Bushey had to say in the Dec. 6 Elkhorn Independent.
