Two officers retire from the Goldsboro Police Department after more than 20 years
By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on May 2, 2018 3:28 PM
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Sgt. Dale Foster recently retired from the Goldsboro Police Department with 27 years of service.
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Capt. Teresa Cox retired from Goldsboro Police Department with 25 years of service. She's the first African-American female officer to retire from the department.
For two Goldsboro Police officers, Monday was bittersweet.
For Capt. Teresa Cox and Sgt. Dale Foster, Monday was their official last day of service as members of the Goldsboro police force.
The time had come for them to say farewell to a department that they have called family for more than 20 years.
Cox, with 25 years of service, and Foster, with 27 years of service, are now officially in retirement.
Cox was given a retirement celebration on Tuesday at the Goldsboro Event Center on Slocumb Street.
During the celebration her granddaughter Natyjaih Jones sang "Ave Maria" by Beyoncé.
Cox was presented with a plaque for being the first African-American female officer to retire with 25 years of service. She was also presented 25 yellow roses -- one for each year of service.
"Capt. Cox has given the city many years of dedicated service. She was valued member of my staff, we came up the ranks together. I have always known that any call I went on with her that I could count on her having my back. I'm really sorry to see her go and wish her nothing but the best," Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said.
At the end of the final shift, both Cox and Foster made their final calls. The final call is a tradition within the law enforcement community where officers speak from their patrol cars for the last time.
During Cox's final call message, she thanked officers for the experience along with the friendships that were created.
Cox, said that she has mixed emotions and that she will miss her co-workers.
"Now every time a siren goes by, I know that I will be looking. I will always wonder where an officer may be going," Cox said.
During her years of service, she has worked in the crime division, street-level drug unit.
Cox, who is raising her two grandchildren, ages 15 and 13, along with her husband of 23 years, Jesse, is excited to begin the next chapter of her life in retirement.
She has taken on the craft of embroidery and enjoys the calmness that it brings her.
"For 25 years, I have put everyone else first, now it's all about me," Cox said.
She said that she was drawn to a career law enforcement to help others.
Sgt. Foster began his career with the department 27 years ago, after moving to the area from Michigan.
He said that he grew up watching a lot of cop television shows with his grandmother, which is what created his desire to get into law enforcement.
One of the things that Foster found rewarding with being an officer was working with people.
"It has been a good career," he said.
Foster said that the challenge of being an officer was working nights and weekends, which caused missed time with his family.
His final message to officers was, "If you don't have pride in yourself have pride in your badge."
For Foster, each day began with a briefing, then off to patrol the streets of the city. Foster said that he will miss the officers he works with saying they are his "second family."
"Sgt. Foster was a valuable member of our department, he has been dedicated to the city and done an excellent job. It's going to be hard to replace both Foster and Cox, I'm very happy for them to see them retire," West said.
Foster said that he is looking forward to just having time relax and to take care of some projects around his home. He said, at this time, he does not know what the next chapter of his life will be.
Foster is married to Dorothy Foster, they have been married for seven years and have five children.
Dorothy also retired from the police department seven years ago. A retirement celebration was held in Foster's honor on Wednesday at the Goldsboro Event Center.
Those in attendance included City Manager Scott Stevens and Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce, along with Foster's parents, Larry and Beth Hummel, and his uncle and aunt, Randy and Nancy Tallkowski, of Michigan.