Lincoln Police Department bids fond farewell to Chief Paul Adams

 

[November 01, 2021] 

On Friday afternoon a reception was hosted at the Lincoln Police Station honoring departing Chief of Police Paul Adams. The event was hosted by the police department with several of the officers in attendance along with members of Lincoln city governance and Adams’ family members.

Early in October Chief Adams shared with the Lincoln City Council that he was retiring from the department and leaving law enforcement as a career. After 24 years with the department, Adams will be transitioning into a role with Tyler Technology, a public safety/government software company. He will be working remotely from home so he has no plans of relocating his family for this new position.

In his 24 year career with the Lincoln PD, Adams began as a patrol officer in 1997 and was promoted to Corporal in 2001 and Sergeant in 2004. Then in a lateral move in 2014 he shifted to Sergeant Detective and remained in that position until 2014.

In 2014, Ken Greenslate was chief and Michael Geriets was deputy chief, and Geriets resigned to run for Logan County Sheriff. Adams was then appointed deputy chief

When Greenslate announced his departure into retirement in 2015, the Lincoln City Council appointed Adams to serve as chief of police.

Chief Adams said he was leaving with mixed feelings. He has enjoyed his career with the Lincoln Police Department, but is very much looking forward to a new career working with technology.

Adam’s wife Carrie was also feeling those mixed emotions. She said that the change was going to be a big one. Their entire married life, Paul has been an officer of the law, and she honestly never imagined that he would choose to leave that profession. At the same time, he’s leaving a dangerous job and that offers a lot of peace of mind for her and her children in the future.

After Adams announced his retirement, Mayor Tracy Welch announced that he would appoint the current Deputy Chief, Mat Vlahovich to chief position.

Vlahovich will celebrate 17 years with the department this coming January. His career with the Lincoln PD has followed an almost identical path as that of Adams. He noted that he began his law enforcement career with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office where he served for two and half years before coming to the city as a patrol officer. He advanced through the ranks to corporal sergeant, and sergeant detective just as Adams had. Vlahovich did not spend as much time as a sergeant detective as Adams. After 14 months in that role, he was chosen by Adams to serve as his deputy chief when Adams was promoted to chief.

Friday afternoon there were plenty of photo opportunities, as Adams and Vlahovich shared a handshake in the education room of the police department. It was a kind of passing of the torch between two officers who have spent most of the careers together.

Adams also gathered his wife Carrie and son Cody together for another shot, then added a final picture that included his mother, Joan Adams. (Daughter Emma was unable to attend due to school commitments.)

Adams said that he was leaving the department knowing he had been instrumental in working with Lincoln District 27 Schools and Alderman Kathy Horn to bring to the city a new, state of the art police station. The former Jefferson School on Fifth Street was transformed into a new station at a fraction of the cost it would have taken to build new.

Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch read aloud the inscription on a plaque that will be officially presented to Adams at the Monday evening city council meeting.

“With our greatest appreciation, we hereby present Paul T. Adams with this award for your unwavering support and guidance which helped in leading the Lincoln Police Department and the City of Lincoln to success.

“You are being honored with much appreciation and gratitude for 24 years of service from August 31, 1997 to October 31, 2021; as Patrolman, Corporal, Sergeant, Detective for 10 years; and Deputy Chief and Chief of Police for six years, from 2015 to 2021.

“You were instrumental in securing, remolding and moving the department into the new police station, providing Information Technology and Networking service for all City of Lincoln departments, forming the Lincoln Police Emergency Response Team, designing a new city logo and police department patch in 2020, establishing the Lexipol Policy service, securing several grants for the Lincoln Police Department, and implementing new community programs, in turn, obtaining a higher quality of life for the citizens of the city of Lincoln.

“Presented by Mayor Tracy Welch and city council members.”
 

At the Monday night meeting of the Lincoln City Council, the plaque will be presented and read aloud again for the council.

Deputy Chief Vlahovich will also be sworn into his new position as Chief of Police.

[Nila Smith]