John Collins with his wife and Bertha Lawrence of the beer board
Thursday was the day that John Collins turned in all his police equipment and ended his career as a Chattanooga Police Officer, his final day after 26 years.
He was a legacy of law enforcement. He grew up in Hixson, went to Hixson High School, and in his mid-20s decided to go to the Chattanooga Police Academy.
His father was a State Trooper so law enforcement was always his goal, he said. After graduating from the academy, his first job with the Chattanooga Police Department was as a patrol officer. After several years in the CPD, he was able to apply for different positions. His first move was to the Property and Evidence Department. His second move was to the Regulatory Bureau which the beer board is under. That is where he settled, remaining there as beer inspector for 19 years. He said the job suited him well.
As Beer Inspector for Chattanooga, he had a regular office schedule but was also on call day, nights and weekends. But he said he had the freedom of handling calls from wherever he was, very often after regular business hours. The beer board regulates sales of beer in any business that sells it including bars, restaurants, grocery stores, quick marts and special events such as fundraisers, sporting events, concerts and street parties.
Some of his many responsibilities with that job included performing inspections for compliance of the beer code, educating people who had been approved for a beer license about their responsibilities, participating in compliance checks in conjunction with other agencies, delivering citations, testifying at beer board meetings when there were violations and he was always being notified of problems and giving officers real-time advice as they responded to reports of violations that were occurring where beer was being sold. Another duty of the job was to approve all special gathering permits being held at event halls that did not have a beer permit. He was recognized by the business owners as being treated fairly both when encouraging them about how to succeed or when they were being disciplined., representing the city well. He also participated in formulating or modifying regulations pertaining to the sale of beer.
These responsibilities also extended to the wrecker business in Chattanooga. On the wrecker side, additionally, he worked with the Hamilton County Dispatch, TDOT and Chattanooga Fire Department on major wrecks involving semis. John Collins has been able to successfully juggle the many duties included in his job and keeping documentation of it all. Upon his retirement, the city realized it will take two people to replace what he has been doing.
What he liked the most about the job with the beer board, he said, was that he could make a difference. The goal was always for maintaining public safety. The biggest challenge, he said was that “the job requires a thick skin because so many people drink beer, he said you’re going to make a lot of people mad.”
His plans for the future include a new business that he and an old friend from the CPD, Chuck Spurling, have started. “Behind the Wheel Driving Academy” is a driving school for both teen drivers and court-ordered schooling due to getting a ticket or for point reduction to prevent a suspended license. He decided to do this after having been around it for years when his father did safety education for the sheriff’s department.
John has become qualified to teach both defensive driving and teen driving. At the school, he will be in charge of the 30 hours of required classroom time. His partner and others that have been hired will do the one-on-one actual driving time on the road. The school also has a high-tech simulator that parents have the option of choosing as additional training for their child. This equipment can simulate experiences in different types of vehicles such as SUVs, sedans, or vans, as well as night time, rain or snowy conditions and on different types of roads. It also can be used to demonstrate the effects of impaired driving from alcohol or drugs.
This business relates to the work that John Collins has been doing during his long career at the beer board by teaching alcohol awareness and how drugs effect driving. The main goal of both jobs, he said, is to keep people safe.
The school is now open and students can register by sending an email to john@chattanoogadrivingschool.com or calling (423) 521-6637 and leaving a message that will be returned.