Gresham Police honor retirements of Deputy Chief Smith and Sergeant Nguyen

The Gresham Police Department gathered on Sept. 30 to honor and celebrate two long-serving leaders of the department.

Deputy Chief William Smith and Sergeant Hung Nguyen were sworn in as patrol officers on September 26, 1997. Smith and Nguyen graduated together from the Police Academy and retired together today, after 27 years of exemplary service and commitment to the safety of the Gresham community.

Deputy Chief Smith held every sworn rank at the Gresham Police Department from Officer to Deputy Chief. He volunteered for a variety of specialty assignments including school resource officer, recruiting officer, field training officer, EMGET sergeant, and sergeant of the bomb squad. He served as a member of East Metro SWAT for 17 years and another three years as the SWAT Commander. He also served as firearms instructor for 15 years and as firearms sergeant for an additional two years.

"Deputy Chief Smith served with distinction in all of these assignments, was always a good teammate, and strived to leave these units better than he found them," said Gresham Captain Kyle Lewis.

Sergeant Nguyen served alongside Smith as a member of SWAT for 18 years. He was a school resource officer, EMGET officer, and served as a firearm and survival skills instructor.

As a Sergeant he is well known for his leadership of the K-9 unit and the development of the department's comfort dog program. He created the popular community outreach event "Tagg's Dog Days of Summer" which highlights the work of the K-9 unit and the comfort dog program.

Sergeant Nguyen was also instrumental in the training of officers and was a member of a team that developed an innovative training initiative to address the backlog at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) during the pandemic; a model that was utilized by other agencies.

Deputy Chief Smith and Sergeant Nguyen have received numerous awards and commendations during their careers. On Wednesday, September 25, Deputy Chief Smith received the Distinguished Service Medal and Sergeant Nguyen received the Meritorious Service Award.

"We are grateful for their years of service and the positive impact they have had on our community. They will be missed but leave behind a legacy that will benefit the department for years to come," said Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg.