A retiring police chief fought back tears of pride when his wife surprised him on his final sign-off call after 27 years of service. Scott Byrnes joined Redford Township Police Department, in Michigan, nearly three decades ago, before working his way up the ranks to Chief of Police. His wife Lisa works as a 911 dispatcher – a role often responsible for making the final call outs for retiring officers – which provided Scott’s family with the perfect opportunity for a send-off surprise. On April 12, at the township's police station, an unsuspecting Scott, 51, who had no idea about the surprise, sat down and was handed a radio for his final call. When he heard Lisa's voice on the other end of the transmission, he immediately teared up, with Lisa praising her husband's "devotion to this community" and "dedication to this police department." Lisa, 47, then went on to read out Scott's achievements, as their daughter, Michaela, captured her dad's emotional reaction on video. A proud Michaela later shared the video online, where it received over eight million views.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00We would like to recognize your devotion to this community and your dedication to this police department.
00:08It's been 27 years and today Scott is retiring as chief of police and his wife Lisa, a dispatcher
00:16who's been working with him her entire career, is doing his final call out. Something not often
00:22done for officers in their department. Throughout your career you have received many awards and you
00:29are even becoming officer of the year in 2012. Thank you so much for your timeless work ethic and
00:43professionalism. You have been an inspiration to everyone and have had the pleasure of serving with
00:50you. Please accept our overwhelming gratitude and appreciation for all of your hard work in these
00:5727 years. Scott's reaction was very very surprising to me because this man doesn't cry. So I know I
01:06held back because I had made bets like okay I'm gonna get through this, I'm gonna be professional,
01:12I'm not gonna shed any tears. I lost it. You have a long distinguished career and I am honored and
01:22so proud to be your wife. You will never be late to work again because of me.
01:32I think what really hit home is when she made it very personal. The time that we've had together,
01:38the times and memories that we've shared together as a married couple going through the
01:43police department made us a lot closer. It's made you know our marriage a lot stronger because of
01:48it so I think it's actually a blessing in disguise. Oh how I will miss driving into work with you and
01:54being your ride and die passenger. You are always willing to help others and never expected anything
02:01in return. I am so grateful you made it home safely after each shift for not only myself
02:11but for our children Michaela, Alyssa, Sheena, Keegan and little Michaela. I never imagined this
02:17day would ever come and I would be giving your last radio call out even though we've talked
02:24every day and counted down for the past year. I am so excited to begin this new journey with you
02:31even though I've slept at work for 11 more long months.
02:35Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement and you're now doing nothing new career. You have safely
02:46reached the end of your watch and you are now out of service at the Redford Township Police Department.
02:52I was so overtaken because I could not believe how emotional he actually got.
02:57100 copies. Thank you. Signing off.
03:09Just like warmed my heart. I'm like oh this was such a good day.
03:15Not that I made him cry or anything but...