Wright City Police Chief Henry Matthews is adamant that his second try at retirement won’t end like the first attempt. “I will not get bored this time around,” he stated. The chief is looking forward to spending more time hunting and fishing. At 74, Matthews will end his law enforcement career next week following more than two decades solving crimes and chasing bad guys. “When I retired the first time, it got to be boring. When you do nothing, you can’t take a break from it,” Matthews quipped. Matthews, whose police career began in 1985 as a Warren County sheriff’s deputy, will end a 2 1/2-year run as police chief in Wright City. Prior to his career in law enforcement, he served 18 years in the Army. Matthews retirement is effective Tuesday, Dec. 28. He will be replaced by former St. Charles County Sheriff Douglas Saulters, whose hiring was announced earlier this month. Through the years, Matthews has seen many changes in the law enforcement profession, including advances in technology to help officers solve crimes and tougher requirements for an officer to become licensed. While many officers have come and gone in the Wright City police department, the one constant has been Matthews. Following a four-year stint as deputy, he worked as a patrol officer in Wright City until eventually retiring — for the first time — in 1998. Upon returning to the department in 2001, he moved up the ranks — from sergeant to lieutenant to captain — to eventually being appointed chief in May 2008. Mathews’ law enforcement career was unique in that he didn’t decide to become a police officer until relatively late in life at the age of 49. Yet, according to the chief, it was a career choice that ended successfully and was rewarding. His prior military experience included a job as a ski trooper in Alaska, during the time it was still considered a territory, five years spent in Vietnam and two tours in Korea covering 23 months. His military accomplishments include two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, a Presidential Citation and other decorations. “It really wasn’t a goal,” said Matthews about becoming a police chief. “I wanted to come in and do the best job I knew I could.” The Wright City department has been described as one that mainly serves as a steppingstone for new police academy graduates looking to gain experience before jumping to other departments with better pay. Under Matthews’ leadership, the department’s vehicle fleet has been upgraded, more reserve officers have been added and an officer’s annual salary has increased. The department now has a stable, experienced group of officers — a team that Matthews says he will miss the most. “I enjoy working with the guys,” he remarked. “When you see results in their work and crime solving, it makes it worthwhile. We have gone from a training ground to a working department. That is an accomplishment.” Matthews served as a father figure to many of the younger officers he served with even as he learned the nuances of police work following his graduation from the academy. “Coming in, he was the one you listened to and didn’t want to upset,” officer Jeff Scanlon said. “It was like upsetting your dad if you did.” He also discovered that Matthews, still to this day, has a nose for investigative work. “That man has an eye for burglaries,” Scanlon said. “He can look at a blade of grass and know if somebody’s been in the house.” When Matthews leaves city hall for the final time next week, it will be a bittersweet occasion. Then again, those 4 a.m. patrols and evenings spent at board meetings can easily be replaced with a day spent on the lake fishing. “I really enjoyed serving the people of Wright City,” Matthews said. “I have a lot of good friends there. You have good times and bad times, but the good times make up for those bad times.”