Hilton set to retire after nearly 38 years with Hampton Police Dept.

     Capt. James Hilton will leave behind over three decades of memories with the Hampton Police Department when he hangs up his uniform for the final time Sept. 12.

     Hilton will turn 66 on Sept. 13. According to Iowa Law Enforcement Academy regulations, no officer can serve past that age. Even though his retirement is required, Hilton said he was ready to relax and enjoy the next stage of his life.

     "The academy said that's all I can serve. I'm looking forward to full retirement and being with my wife and family more," he said. "This was pretty much my life."

     Hilton got his start in Hampton after Chief Bud Nelson hired him in November 1975. However, the Waterloo native didn't always plan on pursing a career in law enforcement. Hilton enlisted in the Army in 1966 after graduating high school and served in France, Germany and Vietnam. He became an industrial foreman at a textile manufacturing company in Minnesota for six years after his discharge, but he still felt a desire to serve his community.

Read the full article in the Aug. 28 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.