From Johnstons to "Jackass," police chief reflects on storied career

West Goshen Police Chief Michael J. Carroll will be honored tomorrow at a ceremony at the township building. Then, on Monday, he will turn in his car, capping an illustrious career that began taking shape when he was a teenager.

"I was in no way ready to go to college," he said. "Entering the military was the best decision I ever made."

Carrroll, who grew up in Delaware County, said he joined the U.S. Air Force on July 27, 1961, requesting a law-enforcement detail. His inspiration was an uncle who served as a longtime detective in the City of Chester. Even though Carroll fantasized about a productive, diverse career in police work, he said he could never have foreseen the outcome.

"I've been very fortunate," Carroll said.

He served in the Presidential Honor Guard, participating in the funeral of President Kennedy. His first civilian police job was in Tredyffrin Township, initiating what would become his encyclopedic knowledge of Chester County crime.

Decades after the cases occurred, he remembers all the salient details, including dates and times, especially the saga of the murderous Johnston brothers, the subject of a Hollywood movie "At Close Range." Carroll also returned to school, taking courses at Temple, Villanova, and West Chester Universities; Delaware County Community College; and the FBI Academy.

During a career that would ulltimately take him around the world as head of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Carroll was known for speaking his mind. Often, he was advocating for police safety; sometimes he was just reacting to a crime.

A recent example of the latter occurred during the investigation into a fatal single-car accident that claimed two lives, Ryan Dunn and his passenger, Zachary Hartwell.

Carroll said he was mystified by the subsequent hero worship of Dunn, a star of "Jackass."

"He drank and drove like a maniac, killing himself and his friend, and he's being glorified," Carroll said. "It's very strange; I don't understand it."

Carroll said one of his proudest accomplishments occurred during his international position when he oversaw the creation of the Center for the Prevention of Violence Against Police.

"We need to keep finding ways to adjust our training so that officers aren't as vulnerable to violence," he said.

For more information about Carroll's career, see http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20110729_Longtime_West_Goshen_police_chief_will_retire.html