Most senior CHP officer on the road retires, works shift with son
TEMPLETON, Calif. - The most senior officer on the road in the California Highway Patrol is set to retire this week after 36 years of service.
Officer Douglas Villars has been stationed in the Templeton CHP office since 2010. Prior to that, he worked in the San Luis Obispo area for 13 years. He's made previous stops during his career throughout Southern California after graduating from the academy in 1983.
Officer Villars was the President of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen for several years and returned to patrol the roadways last year. Only two people throughout the CHP have been on the job longer than Villars.
Villars' last work day is this week, but it might be less memorable than his penultimate shift.
On Thursday, Villars worked a shift with his son, Cory, a CHP officer himself who works in the King City area. Cory Villars has six years of service under his belt, with just 30 more needed to catch up to his dad.
At 2 p.m. Friday, Villars last call will ring out through CHP radios throughout the area, signalling an end to 36 years and 7 months of protecting our roadways.
