Friday, April 19, 2024
A career in law enforcement is something that intrigued Nathan Gohlke since childhood, but after 31 years in that line of work - including 29 as a licensed peace officer — he will be hanging up the badge and working in an entirely different career.
Gohlke was sworn in as Gatesville police chief on March 8, 2005 and has worked for GPD since April 3, 1998. Before that, he worked as a jailer for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
The 1989 Gatesville High School graduate said he has been blessed to serve his hometown.
"I was born and raised here, and I've been very fortunate to be able to serve in this capacity," Gohlke said. "Some people said it would be hard for me to serve as chief here because I know so many people, but it really hasn't been that way at all."
Although his parents tried to talk him out of going into law enforcement, they allowed him to sign up as a police cadet, which increased his desire to pursue a law enforcement career.
"It motivated me to work harder so I could be in this profession," Golke said.
After high school, Gohlke attended Sam Houston State University before deciding to move closer to home and finish his law enforcement degree at McLennan Community College in Waco.
"I didn't have any family in law enforcement, but doing this job was something I was set on and passionate about," he said.
"I was fortunate enough to be hired in Hamilton County, and I fell in love with law enforcement right away."
Although Gohlke had applied for jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the Bryan-College Station area, he said he decided he would rather stay closer to home.
"I had been the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer in Hamilton, Evant, Jonesboro and Hico, and at that point Nicole (Gohlke's wife) and I decided it was best for me to come back home to Gatesville."
Nicole and Gohlke have been married for nearly 30 years, and have two children — Bailey, 23, who lives in Waco, and Brenden, 18, who is scheduled to graduate from Gatesville High School in 2023 and plans to attend Texas State University.
"Nicole has been with me the whole way for my entire law enforcement career," Gohlke said.
A conversation with Daren Moore, owner of Scott Funeral Home, prompted Gohlke to consider a new career as a funeral director.
"I've always liked helping people, and doing that will allow me to continue doing so, just in a different way," he said.
Gohlke has seen plenty of highlights and challenges during his law enforcement career, but said one of the things he remembers most was when he was a young officer.
"One of the scarier moments was when I was in Hamilton County and got a call about a man who was suicidal," Gohlke said. "I met with the guy's brother, and the man had left his house and went off into the woods. He had me in his rifle sights, but it all ended peacefully."
As a young chief, one of Gohlke's police officers in Gatesville was involved in and arrested for robbing a bank.
And in 2018, Gohlke helped lead the response to an explosion at Coryell Health that killed one person and injured several others.
Gohlke said he is glad that he has been able to serve this community.
"One of the things about Gatesville is fortunately it's not a high crime area," he said. "We have a low crime rate. Yes, aggravated type crimes happen but they are few and far between. Most of the crimes here tend to be property crimes.
"Gatesville is truly a great place to live, and our community has been good to the police department. We have a positive relationship between the city and the police, and that makes a huge difference in being able to do our jobs successfully."
Gohlke said it will be the people he works with that he will miss most, but he still plans to be an active member of the community. Part of his service to the community will continue to be as a member of the Gatesville Exchange Club.
"There will be things I've done for the community as a chief that I won't be involved with anymore, but I can still help people in other ways," he said. "I'll still be able to serve the community, just in a different way.
"This has been a great career, and I have no regrets. I've enjoyed being a part of the Gatesville Police Department, and I look forward to being a part of the selection process for the next chief. The department has come a long way over the years, and it will continue helping make Gatesville a great place to live. I'm really thankful to have been a part of that."
