Former township police chief remembered
REDSTONE TWP. – Fellow law enforcement officers are remembering former Redstone Township Police Chief Jack Cook as a fair and effective officer. Cook served as the Redstone Township police chief for 25 years and according to his family, he was the first black police chief in western Pennsylvania. Cook passed away July 13 at the age of 67.
“I’ve known Jack for over 30 years, when I first started at Luzerne and he was at Redstone,” said Luzerne Township Police Chief Roy Mehalik, who served as an officer on the former Redstone Township police force under Cook.
“At one time, we had nine full-time guys at Redstone and we all worked well under him,” Mehalik said.
One of those officers was Kevin Brooks, who now works for the state Department of Corrections.
“I got out of the service in June 1978 and Redstone hired me in March 1979. I worked at Redstone for 13 years. It was a learning experience,” Brooks said.
“Being fresh out of the service, I was still pretty impressionable. In the service, I was an MP (military police), but when you’re working in the community at large, it’s different.”
Brooks said he learned how to handle people in all types of situations by watching Cook work.
“He had a way of talking to people. He adapted to all situations. He respected people and they respected him,” Brooks said.
Brooks said Cook also seemed to know everyone he came into contact with, even knowing their nicknames. And Cook rarely had a problem with a suspect, Brooks said.
“He was a big man. Seeing him come up on you, it was intimidating. He didn’t push himself on anybody, it was just the way he carried himself,” Brooks said.
Brooks said he learned from Cook that wearing a uniform doesn’t give you the right to push people around.
“Don’t go out there stepping on people. You had to work with them and for them. We’re there to help people,” Brooks said.
Mehalik recalls the last night he spent on the job with Cook, which was also the last time Cook was an active duty police officer: March 17, 1988.
“Both of us were on duty and we were rear-ended by a drunk driver and he (Cook) suffered some severe back injuries and could never return to work again,” Mehalik said.
Mehalik said the accident occurred near Paradise Lake and totaled the police car. Mehalik was off duty for five weeks from his injuries. The state police caught the drunk driver a short time later, Mehalik said.
Mehalik and Brooks said Cook will definitely be missed.
“He was a good guy. He always did his job; he was fair with people and he was very well-liked in the community,” Mehalik said.