Serving the public is about to yield to spending quality time with grandchildren for Rita Gatton, who has spent most of her nearly 50-year career with the Maryland State Police in Prince Frederick.
Gatton, who was named the state law enforcement agency’s Civilian of the Year for 2022, said it was a recent sad occurrence in Calvert County’s law enforcement community that prompted her to announce her retirement effective July 1.
“A very good friend of mine just died of a massive heart attack and he was only retired for five months,” Gatton told Southern Maryland News.
The good friend was Greg Cameron, a former state trooper and later deputy for the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. Cameron’s sudden death at the age of 63 in March shook the ranks of local law enforcement and gave Gatton something to ponder.
“He was a lot younger than me,” she said. “I was thinking about it [retirement], but that’s what prompted it. That’s when I determined it was time to go.”
Her grandchildren are ages 10 and 11, and Gatton said, “I need to do things with my grandkids.”
It was in November 1972 that Gatton was hired at the state police Forestville Barrack by Lt. Larry Gibbs.
“I worked there six or seven years,” Gatton said, adding that she left the agency for a few years but returned and was hired at the Prince Frederick post.
“I took the state test and passed it with a 98.5,” Gatton recalled.
Having attended business school, Gatton was trained to handle the rigors of police paperwork, which can be overwhelming.
“We have reduced it, thanks to computers, Google and Google drive,” she said. “But you still need to maintain things. it’s a lot of paperwork — bills, warrants, summonses. We go through a lot of forests.”
In addition to helping keep track of the local office’s necessary paper trail, Gatton has, in a pinch, helped out with communications, doubling as a dispatcher.
“I’ve been doing that for 35 years,” she said, adding that sometimes the chaos outside the barrack requires uniformed personnel to respond to an increased call for services. “I slipped in there one day and I’ve been there ever since.”
Gatton performed the emergency dispatcher’s work on a contractual basis.
Location transitionWhen Gatton started with the Maryland State Police in Prince Frederick, troopers and their civilian support team were located in a tight area of the county courthouse.
“I was over there with Shirley Bowen and Ida Gibson,” Gatton said. “Shirley and I shared an office that wasn’t much bigger than the women’s room — two desks and a file cabinet.”
A change from the restricted quarters wasn’t just around the corner. No, it was just across the street. The state police moved to its current location on Main Street when what was Maryland National Bank for many years relocated, vacating their building.
Since she and many of her family members banked at the Main Street branch, Gatton said witnessing the transformation was quite an experience.
“It was kind of cool because we still have the vaults,” Gatton said. “This building is at least 70 years old. I help keep it in good shape, up to date and painted.”
“She consistently performs at an exceptional level,” the state police citation recognizing Gatton as 2022 civilian employee of the year states. “She routinely goes out of her way to ensure the important correspondence and required paperwork for all barrack personnel is processed filed and mailed.”
The agency also acknowledged, “When needed, [Gatton] works at other barracks throughout the region.”
“In a world of change, she has been the one constant here,” Lt. Jimmie Meurrens, current Prince Frederick Barrack commander, told Southern Maryland News this week. “She has been the heart and soul of of our administrative team. Her competence and willingness to help others is well known and, as a true example of competence rewarded, she has been relied upon to assist other state police barracks in different capacities throughout Southern Maryland. Her absence will be felt beyond the Prince Frederick barrack’s doors.”
“They’re going to miss me when I’m gone, ‘cause Rita’s done a lot of things for these guys,” Gatton said. “But I do it ‘cause I love them. Maryland State Police is a wonderful organization and I’m proud to be part of Maryland’s finest.”
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