By Traci Collins

Special to the Post

For almost six years now I have sat back, allowed things to happen and bit my tongue. For most situations in my life this would not be a hard thing to do, but just like almost anyone, mess with my family and we have a whole new game. In this situation, however, it was better that I did not speak up. It would probably cause more harm than good. It would probably just add fuel to those who were already being negative. It would probably not be appropriate for the wife of a public figure to say anything. Well now I am happy to say my chains are gone and my tongue is free.

In March of 2010 the Lord led Rory Collins to become the 10th police chief of the Salisbury Police Department. He knew when he took this job that it would not be easy. He knew that he would deal with unhappiness; he knew that he would deal with hard decisions; he knew that at times things would be tough. Having worked in police work since 1990, he knew that he was in a profession that many despised and disrespected.

What he was not prepared for was the small handful of folks who would make it their mission to destroy him and would blatantly lie to try and do it. He did not expect to have to defend the fact that he is a former marine. He did not expect to have to defend his 2-week absence from work being due to major surgery and not his dismissal. He did not expect to have to defend that payment for his son’s education at Clemson came from hard work and planning, not from police department funds. He did not expect to have to defend that he worked a job with the Housing Authority, which was 20 hours or less per month and was something he had done for over 10 years. Most of all, he did not expect to have to defend his retirement as something he was not eligible for or forced to do.

To the majority of Salisbury, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support of Rory and our family. Thank you for your words of encouragement and for recognizing the great job that he and those at the police department do. These men and women work hard to try and change this mean and negative world every day. They do it for little pay and a whole lot of disrespect. Law enforcement has always been a dangerous profession, but in this world where hatred runs rampant, gang violence has increased and folks have turned their backs on God, they truly put their lives on the line every day!

For those few who have tried to bring him down, I want to also thank you. Although the struggles were stressful and at times down right difficult, every single time he was the true winner. Your tactics have strengthened his faith. Your tactics have given him visible proof that when you are in God’s will the road may not be easy, but HE will always walk with you. Your tactics have proven that although we do not always get to see it, good does prevail over evil. Your tactics have shown him that him plus God was always a majority.

Lastly, I would like to say thank you to you Rory. Thank you for serving Salisbury with morals, values, and integrity. Thank you for always bathing every decision in prayer and completing the easy as well as the difficult tasks that you faced. Thank you for taking care of our family and for being a man of God. Thank you for following God’s calling to serve and His calling to close that door of our lives.

You can hold your head high knowing you have fulfilled your duties!

Traci Collins is the wife of Salisbury Police Chief Rory Collins, who recently announced his retirement.