Clearwater police force produces another top cop
Colleagues say they'll miss Tony Holloway, leaving to become a chief in Massachusetts.
By JONATHAN ABEL, Times Staff Writer
Published September 23, 2007
CLEARWATER - In the past quarter century, the Clearwater Police Department has seen 11 of its officers become police chiefs in other communities.
Now there is a 12th: Capt. Tony Holloway.
The 22-year veteran of the force has been selected to lead the police department in Somerville, Mass., just outside Boston. His appointment awaits a final vote later this fall, but if all goes as expected, he will start his new job Jan. 1.
Holloway's move, however, will be a serious loss for Clearwater. Colleagues and community leaders alike praise Holloway, 45, for his calm demeanor and his problem-solving approach to police work.
"I'm so sad about this whole thing," said Isay Gulley, executive director of Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services. "Even though he was doing his job as a police officer, he was concerned about the individual. It was more than about how many arrests he could make."
Among his proudest accomplishments, Holloway says, has been his work in North Greenwood.
One of the highest-crime areas in Clearwater, North Greenwood has been a focal point for police efforts and Holloway has been an integral part. He served as a patrol officer in North Greenwood and later as a sergeant and lieutenant overseeing police work in the neighborhood.
His knack for building strong relationships did not go unnoticed.
"I think the thing that he brought to North Greenwood is No. 1, he's an African-American," said activist and social worker Jonathan Wade. "He worked in the community. He brought another perspective that white officers just don't have in most instances."
Holloway succeeded because he was able to do more than just make arrests, Wade said.
"He was fair with the guys," he said. "He had the respect of a lot of the ones even that he arrested."
Earning the community's trust was not easy, Holloway said. He had to prove he was out to help people, not just punish them.
One example that sticks out: Holloway worked nights in North Greenwood dressed as a drug dealer in sweat suit, sneakers and gaudy gold jewelry. He was working reverse stings to crack down on drug buyers for a change - many of them from outside the neighborhood.
The community could have sandbagged him by pointing out that he was a cop, he said. Instead, neighbors brought chairs onto their porches to watch. Dealers gave him helpful advice on what to wear and where to stand. Sometimes they even sent their nuisance clients his way.
Along the way, Holloway built trust.
One night, while working in uniform to break up a melee in North Greenwood, Holloway lost his wedding band. Driving home, he realized the ring was gone. His fellow officers said it was gone for good. But Holloway went back to the neighborhood and put the word out that his ring was missing.
The next day, it turned up at the substation.
Police Chief Sid Klein recognized Holloway's potential virtually from the start.
"Tony was hired by me over 20 years ago and kind of quickly moved up the chain, if you will," Klein said. "He showed his talents very early on as a member of the very early North Greenwood neighborhood patrol, which is probably one of our toughest assignments."
When Holloway expressed an interest in rising past sergeant, Klein pushed him to go back to school. He first earned a bachelor's degree from Eckerd College then an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Klein later assigned Holloway to work on budgets and deal with other administrative tasks to broaden his understanding of police work.
"The best thing the chief did for me," Holloway said, "was take me out of my comfort zone."
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It is Holloway's experience with community-oriented policing, however, that made him the best candidate in the eyes of Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone.
Community-oriented policing is a philosophy that encourages officers to make contacts on the street, to get to know the neighborhood, rather than just responding to calls.
"Presently we're a very reactionary force," Curtatone said. "We need every officer to be a community policing officer ... every officer to be a problem-solver."
Curtatone hopes that Holloway can instill that strategy in Somerville, which has a population of 77,000 and a police force of 133 officers.
If Holloway's hire is approved by Somerville's Board of Aldermen, he will become the city's first black police chief. In 2003, he was the first black captain in Clearwater.
While Holloway says he's proud to be African-American, the focus on race misses the point.
"It's about how blue I am," Holloway said. "I don't want to be picked because I was an African-American."
* * *
Holloway grew up in Tampa, where his family still lives. He graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa in 1980 and went on to Hillsborough Community College. He had just finished the fire academy when he heard about minority recruiting at the Clearwater Police Department.
Holloway thought back to a school resource officer who had been a mentor for him growing up. The officer used to work off-duty at a Tampa McDonald's where Holloway and his friends hung out. Holloway was inspired to give police work a try.
"I thought I could do more as a police officer than a firefighter," he said. He has been in Clearwater ever since.
Holloway is married to Clearwater lawyer Andra Dreyfus,. The couple has no children, but they do have a dog named Milton, after Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman.
Dreyfus will remain in Clearwater while Holloway moves to Somerville, which Holloway said will be the hardest part of this new job. But the couple will make a lot of weekend visits. Holloway's draft contract calls for a five-year commitment and $150,000 a year in base salary.
He is excited about his promotion, but leaving won't be easy.
"I came here as a kid - I grew up here," Holloway said. "Half my life has been here. This is the only job I've ever had."
Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com or 727 445-4157.