Friends mourn former Wheaton police chief
It wasn't exactly textbook police work.
But John Grotto will never forget his first day on the job at the Wheaton Police Department or Carl Dobbs, the man who gave him his first lesson in how to be a cop.
Grotto joined more than 100 mourners and representatives from several area police departments Saturday in a funeral Mass to pay their final respects to the former Wheaton police chief, who died last week after a long battle with cancer.
Grotto's first day on the job involved a traffic detail with Dobbs near St. Francis High School. An errant driver brushed past the pair and, in a fit of frustration, Dobbs tossed a road flare at the passing vehicle.
Only problem was the road flare had a nail on the end that stuck to the car. So the pair hopped in a nearby squad and took off after it.
"I remember he said 'John, now this is not what we normally do in these types of circumstances,'" Grotto recalled.
There would be more memories to come during the pair's 37-year friendship.
Dobbs began his career with the Wheaton department in 1968 and rose through the ranks to become chief in 1981. Friends and family widely recalled Dobbs as a respected and consummate professional and a loyal friend.
"This is a man who spent his time loving life," said the Rev. Mario Pedi, who oversaw the funeral Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Aurora. "No matter how sick he became, he always loved life."
During his tenure in Wheaton, Dobbs helped oversee the construction of a $4.9 million police facility.
He was also a champion of community policing long before it became a buzz word in law enforcement, friends said. In addition to creating a crime prevention officer position in Wheaton, he established a senior volunteer program.
He retired in 1996.
More than a dozen police officers from several area departments, including Batavia, Elgin, East Dundee, Lyons and LaGrange Park, attended Saturday's funeral in uniform.
"I found it remarkable that he could make such an impact with somebody in just a few short hours," Grotto said. "I can stand here and say today that I am the person I am in no small measure thanks to Carl Dobbs."